Kishikata no Eos
by DawningFire
Summary: (OC) When Dawn comes to Crystal Tokyo to fill in for her pregnant future self, a chance encounter with a flamboyant and notorious fashion designer sets her on a dangerous path to adventure and romance. She'll have to go back to her own time someday ...
1. Prologue

Prologue 

"If I sit down now, I'm not getting up for at least an hour."

"That makes two of us. My feet are killing me."

"You know, if it was just my feet, I'd be grateful."

"So complain to Theo," Rini finally said as she kicked off the two inch heels that were a quarter size too small for her. "Technically, he's at fault here."

The Guardian laid a hand on her stomach, which gave evidence to the third trimester of a somewhat challenging pregnancy. "I'll blame the whole Isbanni race at the moment," she answered dryly. "Did you know that it's more common to have triplets than a single baby at a time in Isbanni families?"

"So you've reminded me every week since you found out." The Princess of the Moon Kingdom flopped on her bed, pink taffeta everywhere.

"Sorry," Eos answered with a sheepish grin. "It's just taking so long, and I'm getting tired of – OW!" She sat straight up, rubbing her left side right below her ribcage. "Being kicked," she finished ruefully.

Rini laughed, rolling over to prop her chin on her hands. "So, what's up for food tonight? I didn't eat anything at that so-called dinner. It looked wrong."

"Agreed." Eos closed her eyes and let out a long sigh. "We'll have to get up if we want something, you realize."

"We can't order in?" Rini pouted. "Chinese, maybe? I know how you like those salty green beans, and sweet and sour chicken, and I bet some of those little doughnuts with granulated sugar could really…"

"Chinese it is." Eos laughed, leaning back on the bed. "You have to order, though."

Twenty minutes later, the pair was lounging in front of the vidscreen. One of the news stations had been covering the enormous diplomatic function that they had escaped earlier. A bubbly young woman squealed into a microphone as a graceful brunette emerged from a heavily guarded transport.

"And here we see the lovely Sailor Jupiter, accompanied by her husband, Malik, the most powerful man in the Vegan Empire…"

"As they remind us every time," Rini pointed out airily.

"… and Lady Jupiter is dressed elegantly in a Rainault gown, designed exclusively for her by Breandon Rainault, renowned for his originality and painstaking attention to detail…"

"And his attitude." Rini added wickedly. "Not to mention the gaggle of diplomats' daughters that follows him everywhere like some teenage fan club."

Eos shifted in her chair. "You're in rare form tonight," she noted.

"I'm hungry."

"Well, that doesn't mean you can… "A chime interrupted the gentle reprimand. "Finally." Pushing herself up to a standing position, Eos managed a stately waddle towards the door.

"Sit your butt down." Rini said, jumping to her feet. "You're not supposed to do that. How many times have I told you that I can get the door?"

"And how many times have I said that your mother doesn't want you doing that when the palace is open and hosting foreign nationals?" Eos put a hand to the intercom. "Yes?"

"Delivery. Tranquil Garden." The voice crackled through the speakers, and Eos pressed a button to open the door.

"Evening," she began with a smile. "Sorry to keep you waiting, it takes a while to get to the door…" A glint of metal peeked out between boxes of steamed rice that was clearly not part of their order. Eyes narrowing, Eos slammed her palm against the alert button as her right hand shot forward, catching the man across the bridge of his nose. To-go boxes flew everywhere as Rini shrieked, diving out of sight into the bathroom. Alarms resonated in the hallway and footsteps grew louder as members of the Imperial Guard raced to Princess Serenity's private suite. Meanwhile, Eos had grabbed the would-be assassin's hand and wrenched it around, effectively pointing the phaser at his own throat.

"You… stupid… half-witted… incompetent… excuse… for a hit man," she panted, her weight keeping him pinned against the wall. "What in the hell did you think you could…" she stopped, her complexion losing colour quickly as a wave of nausea passed over her. In that instant, her grip loosened ever so slightly, giving the delivery boy the leverage he needed to turn the gun and fire it directly into Eos' upper shoulder.

The end result was nothing short of spectacular, at least in appearance. Rose and lavender light immediately reflected from her palms, causing twin third degree burns across the chest of the almost-assassin. He slumped to the floor, unconscious with his uniform smoking, while Eos fell against the doorjamb limply, her grip barely steadying her.

"Your Highness?" The uniform guard yelled into the suite. "Eos, is she…"

"Bathroom," the Guardian managed between painful breaths. "She's fine, don't think she's hurt…" Another wave of nausea, and Eos clutched at the wall to stay upright. One of the guards dragged the delivery boy out of the doorway, while the other tended to Eos.

"Ma'am, you need to see a doctor," he said as he examined her shoulder, which wasn't healing as would have been routine per her Senshi abilities. "This needs immediate attention."

She gulped air and swallowed, fighting to breathe. "Well, that… and other things…" She squeezed her eyes shut, willing to relax in spite of the pain. "I need you to get a medlift here immediately."

"Ma'am, we can…"

"She told you to call the medlift, so do it!" Rini yelled as she ran out of the bathroom. "Get me my mother, or Sailor Pluto, and then call down to Greynn's." She helped Eos lie down on the floor, resting her head on her lap. "And get this woman a blanket."

"Yes, your Highness." The pair took off down the hall as the rest of the guard arrived, positioning themselves around the room and throughout the corridor.

"You're sure you're okay?" Eos whispered, her eyes still closed.

"Yes, I'm fine." Rini answered, her voice quiet but frantic. "I told you not to answer the door."

* * *

The next morning, Serenity and Sailor Pluto accompanied Rini to the naval hospital. The maternity ward had doubled security overnight, Theo hand-picking the LISA officers who stood guard outside Eos' door. He had stayed all night, refusing to leave for any reason. His silver-grey eyes glowed faintly as she held his wife's hand, gently stroking it as she slept.

"Theo?" Sailor Pluto's voice called softly into the room. "How is she?"

He nodded, he voice gruff to conceal worry. "Better. At least they stopped the contractions," he replied. "Still, she's going to be here for at least four weeks. They won't induce labour any earlier."

Rini crept inside, the guards nodding respectfully to her as she passed. Throwing her arms about the Isbanni man's neck, she embraced him tightly.

"The cubs are just fine," he said reassuringly.

"Cubs?" Rini stood up. "You mean babies, don't you?"

He shrugged, smiling fondly at the sleeping woman. A trio of heartbeats sounded softly on one of the monitors, evidence that three tiny lives were nestled safe and sound beneath their mother's heart. "I suppose. The name's not important." Rini nodded in silent agreement.

"Commander Greynn?" Serenity entered the room, her simple white suit removing much of the formality that her usual flowing robes dictated. "Please be assured that she's under the best care here, and I've informed Sailor Uranus that you'll be on leave for the next four moths, so as not to have you distracted from more critical issues here."

"Thank you, your Majesty," he answered, bowing his head.

"And of course, Eos is on leave until she feels able to resume her previous duties," Pluto added from her place in the doorway, They'd have to find a replacement for the next month or two, simply someone to accompany Rini on a day to day basis when she wasn't with her parents. She knew the almost eighteen-year-old princess wouldn't put up with just anyone, and most of the Imperial Guard didn't have the people skills needed to deal with an emotional teenager.

She, Endymion, and Serenity had discussed the various options earlier that morning. Other Senshi and similarly gifted persons possessed the raw ability required of the one to protect the Princess of the Moon Kingdom, but they lacked either patience or familiarity. Really, there was only one course of action that would satisfy both Princess and parental figures alike. Even if it meant messing with the time stream a bit, Pluto felt it was worth the trouble.

She only hoped that a certain young woman would agree.


	2. Entrances

Chapter One – Entrances 

The seatbelt light went off, and Dawn took the opportunity to retrieve one of the manga that Mina had sent her over the summer break. She'd spent the winter holidays in Tokyo, giving her friends a taste of what a real Thanksgiving dinner was like… and then spending Christmas morning by herself in her apartment, watching _It's a Wonderful Life_ and bawling before calling home to get some old fashioned Daddy reassurance. After that incident, she'd decided that she wasn't going to spend the summer in Japan. Three weeks after arriving back home in Kentucky, she'd wondered if it had really been worth it… the constant nagging from her mother, the part-time job at the grocery store bakery, and the lack of friends on this side of the globe.

_Eh, it's always good to be able to go back home_, she thought as she relaxed in one of Delta's not-too-uncomfortable business class seats. Even though home wasn't always perfect, it had a strange kind of comfort to it. Then again, so did her apartment in Tokyo. Now, it remained to be seen whether or not Mina and Lita had kept an eye on the place these past three months. She didn't exactly worry about the apartment not being "looked after;" on the contrary, she wondered if she might have permanent room-mates this next fall as she began her junior year at the University of Tokyo.

Dawn loved the pair of girls as if they were her own sisters. She liked Serena and Raye well enough, but she could never talk to them the same way she could talk to the others. Of course, there as Rini… that little carnation pixie she'd met years ago in her backyard, Since then, she'd encountered Rini as a teenager, threatened by those in the future who would like nothing more than to orchestrate her death. The first time, that had led to Xan.

And Xan was no more. Over the summer, Dawn had found it far too difficult to return to the Arboretum where she's seen Xan nearly die at the hands of Terrak. While it had been more than a few years since that day, Dawn still endured the never-ending "what-ifs" what went there her head every time she passed the strangely tranquil spot. Part of it was guilt… and past of it was the fact that he had been that first love, the one that's never forgotten.

_This is NOT the time for sappy stuff_, she reprimanded herself silently. The flight from Atlanta to Tokyo was a long one, and she didn't want to spend hours in melancholy reflection miles above the Pacific Ocean. Instead, she opened the manga she'd saved for this very situation.

Leave it to Mina to supply her with issues of _Codename wa Sailor V_.

* * *

Dawn emerged from her flight, eyes dry and puffy from fitful attempts at sleep in the less-than-comfortable window seat. She smoothed her hair away from her face and struggled with her carry-on back as she separated herself from the mass of people hurrying to baggage claim. She'd get there when her luggage did, and it didn't matter if it took a while. It wasn't as if Mina would be there on time to pick her up, anyway…

"Did you have a nice summer, Dawn?"

The auburn-haired American girl performed the most classic of double takes in the middle of the gate area. To her left, holding a newspaper and wearing a smart black business suit sat the Guardian of time. Jet lag, sleep deprivation, and sheer surprise resulted in a simple yet effective reply in her native barely-Southern English. "Holy shit."

Pluto stood up, tucking the newspaper under her arm. "Now, that's hardly the proper way to greet your Auntie Setsuna, is it?"

_Auntie?_ "Sorry," she apologized, stifling a yawn. "It's just, well… I thought Mina was going to pick me up."

"Not yet, she isn't." Pluto motioned for Dawn to follow her. "I'm going to have to borrow you for a few months or so, until some other things are straightened out."

Dawn stopped in her tracks, now completely lucid. "Borrow?"

"For lack of a better word, yes." Pluto glanced about the airport terminal, seemingly disgusted with the mass amount of people. She needed some place secluded… simply disappearing into thin air was not going to work out here.

"But why? What's so…" She trailed off as worry replaced annoyance. "Is Rini okay? Did something happen?" If it had something to do with Rini, Dawn's level of panic generally sky-rocketed.

Pluto started walking again, this time towards a set of high-speed computing kiosks, designed for busy business travellers and geeks who couldn't stand to be separated from their computers for extended periods of time. A bathroom would have been a last resort; as the Guardian of Time, she had to keep _some_ dignity. "She's fine, but she's currently without a Guardian at the moment…"

"What's wrong?" She hurried to keep up with her long-legged companion.

"Nothing's 'wrong' per se," she answered, looking for a spare booth. "Eos is out of commission for now, and we need you as a backup."

"Why? Is she hurt?"

"She's eight months pregnant." Pluto ducked into an empty booth next to a teenager checking his email and watching music videos. "We need you to fill in for a little while."

"Fill in? But what about school? I've gotta be back in time for the beginning of the fall semester and…" She stopped as the elegant woman arched an equally elegant eyebrow at her.

"Time is hardly a problem, Dawn Therese Connolly."

She managed to look somewhat chagrined.

"Now, if you're quite finished, we have business to attend to…"

"But, what about my clothes?" Her voice louder than she'd intended, Dawn glanced about guiltily, hoping she hadn't attracted too much attention. "I mean, all I have are a few bare necessities," she continued, gesturing to her bag. "What am I supposed to wear, the Senshi uniform?"

Pluto rolled her eyes. _Nothing _was ever easy with this child. "I'll make Rini go shopping with you, and you're probably the same size as Eos used to be." She flipped her hunter green hair over her shoulder and did a find check of the area. "Ready?"

"Ready for what?"

The guy at the computer stood up and blinked, rubbing his eyes in disbelief. He could have sworn two women had sat down in the booth across from him. A slight flash of light had broken his concentration, and he'd leaned back to see what they were doing. Shaking his head, he sat back down and returned to his work. Perhaps this was a sign he needed another vacation… people didn't just vanish into thin air.

* * *

"Oh. My. God."

"Impressive, isn't it?"

"Hell, yeah." Dawn gazed in awe at the sheer opulence of the Moon Kingdom palace in New Crystal Tokyo. The structure literally glittered in the fading daylight as the setting sun cast long shadows. She and Pluto had arrived not too far from an overgrown rosebush in the Palace Gardens. Now, they stood just inside the gates, Dawn gawking at the architecture while Pluto hung back, chuckling softly.

"Pluto?" A handsome middle-aged gentleman descended the marble stairs, a warm smile on his face. Guards bowed deeply as he passed. "Did everything go smoothly? Rini hasn't stopped bothering us about…" Endymion paused, finally seen the young woman who had begun to examine the carvings on the railing. "Is this the Guardian?"

The word _Guardian_ snapped Dawn to attention. She turned, noticing the gentleman clad in midnight blue and black standing next to Pluto. She smiled broadly in recognition before managing a somewhat elegant curtsy despite her book bag. "Your Majesty."

He laughed, motioning to one of the guards. "Miss Connolly, if you'll follow this young man, he'll take you inside to see Small Lady. I'd take you myself, but Pluto and I have some issues to discuss."

"Works for me." Formality dismissed, she waved to Pluto as she followed her escort into the Palace. "See ya later."

"Damn." Everything seemed to become more and more opulent as she walked towards the Royal Family's private living quarters. "This is just weird."

"Weird, ma'am?"

"Dawn," she automatically corrected. "And just, all of the sparkle here. It's weird."

Her escort, a young man with ebony skin and dazzling blue eyes, stifled a snicker. "Only if you're not used to it, ma'am."

"Dawn, please. Don't call me ma'am, I'm not old enough." She stopped in from of a massive painting of someone she assumed to be Serenity, hands clasped behind her back. The last time she'd been here, it had been an emergency that had taken her directly to the spaceport. She'd never even seen the palace as more than a silhouette. "And I don't know how anyone could get used to this. I'd go crazy. " She continued to examine the picture for at least another minute before the guard gave a slight cough.

"The Princess is waiting for you," he offered. "We may want to continue."

Dawn nodded, setting off down the hallway again. _That's right, can't keep her Highness waiting_, she thought with a smile. Further down the corridor, a door hissed open and a young woman rushed out. Pink hair streamed behind her as her bare feet slapped against the cool marble floor.

"DAWN! Dawn, you're finally here!" Rini threw her arms around Dawn's neck and hugged her tightly. "Omigosh, it's sooooo good to see you!"

The denim bag hit the floor as Dawn was thrown back a few feet, courtesy of the Princess' exuberance. She hugged Rini back, catching her breath. "Yeah, same here," she managed. "How old are you now, anyway?"

"Nineteen. You?"

"Twenty." That was odd… it had been two years since she'd seen her, and she'd aged a single year. This travel really did mess with your head. Still it was good to see the kid. "Still older than you, though."

"Only a little." Rini looked at the single bag that Dawn retrieved, then glanced at the empty-handed guard. "Um, where's the rest of your stuff?"

"This is it," she answered, holding up her bag with a half-smile. "Pluto kinda caught me before I could get the rest of my stuff." She stifled a yawn, wondering what time it was and when she'd be able to catch a nap. "She'd said something about shopping, but I dunno if that was something to do now, or…"

Rini's eyes lit up as if it had been Christmas morning. "Shopping? That's great, just lemme get my shoes and call for a transport." She motioned for Dawn to follow her. "C'mon, I'll show you around while we wait."

The suite was nothing short of impressive. Plush carpet, mirrored walls, and massive windows… it was all Dawn could do not to stare. She brushed a hand over a sofa, pulling away once she realized it was white suede. Ye gods, it was ritzy. "This is your room?"

"It's more of an apartment, but yeah. Better than having to live with my parents twenty-four-seven," she replied. "You want something to drink?"

"Sure."

"Diet Coke, with lemon," Rini declared, the request summoning a tall frosty glass from the tiny replicator on the wall. "I guess you'll get Eos' old quarters," she said as she pressed a button on the intercom.

"Yes, your Highness?" An official-sounding voice crackled through the speakers.

"I need a transport to the shopping plaza," she said in a professional tone. "Myself and the Guardian."

"Yes, your Highness." The intercom clicked off, leaving Dawn staring in awe as she sipped her drink.

"That's how you get some place?" Her tone couldn't hide her surprise. "You can't just walk out?"

"I could," she admitted, "but I'm not supposed to. It makes Mom and Eos nervous. Besides, the big dinners the host always means some crazy person's gonna show up and try to kill me."

Dawn choked on her drink, more due to Rini's nonchalant delivery than the actual statement. "And you're okay with this?"

Rini shrugged, going to her closet and pulling out a white windbreaker. "I'm used to it… it sounds horrible, I know, but you can either dwell on it and never leave your bed or go on and live your life."

"I guess," she answered after a moment's consideration. Gulping the remainder of her drink, she reached for her bag. "Now, I have no idea what currency is like these days, but if we can get anything exchanged…"

"You're covered. Don't worry about it."

Dawn involuntarily bristled. "Rini, I can pay for my own clothes," she objected. She wasn't one for handouts, especially when her wallet was in her hands.

"Don't be ridiculous," Rini answered with a wave of her hand. "You're working, you need clothes, we get you clothes. Simple as that."

* * *

Exhausted didn't begin to describe the complete and utter lack of energy and want for sleep that possessed Dawn. The overall experience of shopping with the Princess of the Moon Kingdom had been nothing like she'd ever witnessed. Stores were literally emptied so that they could go inside, and store managers followed them everywhere, offering suggestions on everything from shirts to shoes. After only a handful of hours, Dawn had acquired a new wardrobe, with at least two outfits for every day of the week. Formal, casual, work, play, daytime, night time… it was all there in eight hanging bags and three boxes. Of course, Rini hadn't come away empty-handed, either.

"These should give me at least two inches," she said, admiring the strappy-heeled sandals she'd just bought.

Dawn nodded, stifling a yawn. She needed sleep… maybe food first and a shower, but sleep would be best. Closing her eyes, she rested her head against the back of the seat. Just a quick nap, that's all she really wanted at this point…

"Oh, we've gotta stop here!"

Shit. There goes the nap.

Rini scrambled out of the transport, pulling Dawn with her. "If anything, you'll wanna come here to hang out. It's safe, it's fun, the food's good…"

"And where is 'here' exactly?" Her patience was running thin.

"Greynn's." Rini gestured to the sign above the door. "Now c'mon. I wanna introduce you to someone."

Dawn allowed Rini to drag her inside, not bothering to look up until she saw the row of barstools. Maybe she could rest here…

"Dawn, this is Vince. Vince, Dawn Connolly. She's filling in for Eos for a while," Rini chirped.

She looked up, forcing a pleasant expression on her face for the introduction. As she caught sight of the bartender, her jaw dropped in amazement.

Well over six feet tall and covered in a soft black fur, Vince beamed at her, showing a feline grin. "Not from these parts, are ya?"

She blinked, regaining her composure. "Not exactly, no." This time, the smile was genuine, and she extended her hand. "Dawn Connolly. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." He grip was firm, but hardly overwhelming. "So, anything to drink? Milk, your Highness?"

Rini stuck her tongue out as Vince laughed. "Coffee, if you've got it," Dawn yawned. "I'm about to fall asleep right here."

In a darker corner of the bar, a figure sat with an empty shot glass and a nearly full bottle of Scotch. The sketchpad in front of him blank, Breandon Rainault had run out of inspiration. The last dress he'd designed had been worn by the wife of the Ceyolan consulate during the Queen's celebration of the newly signed trade agreement days before. The ungrateful bitch had taken HIS gown, HIS creation, and had had her own seamstresses and dressmakers duplicate it in an atrocious shade of tangerine. Livid, he'd demanded reimbursement or destruction of the offensive article. Instead, they'd thrown him out of the Embassy and cancelled his after-dinner engagement with the consulate's very single and very alluring twenty-three year old daughter. Plans ruined, he turned to the Scotch.

"Well, if it isn't the amazing Breandon Rainault." Rini's voice dripped with sarcasm, her expression a smirk as she leaned against the booth. "Sleeping alone tonight, huh?"

"Not unlike yourself, your Highness," he answered acidly. "What brings you here to walk among the peasants?"

She glared at him, at a loss for words. "None of your business," she managed after a moment.

"Where's your shadow?" Breandon had frequented Greynn's long enough to know that Rini rarely came without Eos ... and that when she did, it was to sneak out.

Rini sniffed, folding her arms across her chest. "None of your damn business."

"And Ashe? Or have you broken off your little puppy-love romance since we last spoke?"

Tears welled up in Rini's eyes. After the whole Star Hunter ordeal, Malik and Jupiter had given up their second home on the palace ground. Rini hadn't seen Ashe for months now... but it still hurt. "That's ALSO none of your damn business," she answered angrily. "Go on, drink yourself into oblivion."

"No, thanks. If I did that, how would you dazzle your Court without me?" he shot back, eyes narrowing.

"Hey!" Dawn walked up to the booth, coffee in hand. "What the hell is going on here?"

Rini's eyes narrowed at the man in the booth. "Nothing, just catching up with a court acquaintance."

Dawn arched an eyebrow at the snooty reply. "Court acquaintance?" She eyed the man in the booth warily. "And you are?"

"At your service, any time you like," he managed, after a barely perceptible pause.

Dawn blinked, unaccustomed to such a response. "Well, I guess that's good to know," she said slowly. She caught sight of the sketchpad in front of him. "Are you an artist or something?"

Breandon glanced back down at the sketchpad as if just now remembering its existence. "Or something," he echoed.

Dawn's gaze flickered back and forth between the guy in the booth and Rini. "I'm guessing that the two of you aren't all that fond of each other, for some reason." She sipped her coffee, relishing the caffeine that had begun to enervate her system.

"You could say that." His tone was wry, and he splashed the little glass full and tossed it down.

"You could say more, but it wouldn't be ladylike," Rini answered in a similar tone. "Or, he might be too drunk to comprehend the words."

Breandon arched a brow at Rini. "I'll have you know, young lady, that I am nowhere near my capacity." He refilled the glass again, as if to emphasize. "Yet." He held the glass, but didn't drink. "So what brings Your most gracious Royal Highness and her well-dressed shadow out tonight? Breaking in a new Guardian?"

"Breaking in? You make her sound like a horse rather than a person," Rini snickered.

Meanwhile, Dawn was looking down at her jeans and black t-shirt, wondering what part of her was well-dressed. "Guardian's right, though," she replied, shifting the coffee to her left hand and extending the right. "Dawn Connolly."

Breandon grasped her hand firmly and shook it once before turning it to place a light kiss on the wrist. "Breandon Autumn Rainault, at your service."

Dawn couldn't help but smile and blush, while Rini gave a snort of disgust. "Well, if you're a 'court acquaintance' like she says you are, then I'll most likely see you around, right?" She pulled her hand back slowly, tucking strands of hair behind her ear.

He shrugged, looking away. "I don't mingle much at Court."

"He designs dresses," Rini said with a shrug that was supposed to show she didn't care. "He likes to show up to make sure all of his 'creations' are worn correctly. That reminds me," she said, her attitude warming up. "Why haven't you made one for me yet?"

His expression changed completely upon Rini's words. "I haven't created anything that suits your delicate perfection yet, Princess." To Dawn's surprise, his attitude, too, had changed: a gentle respect, plus a tone of regret, showed in his words.

Rini actually managed to smile at the response. "Eh, well, perfection takes time," she answered.

Dawn tilted her head slightly, now curious. "So, you do custom design, then?"

Breandon looked up at her, a bit startled. "You really mean to say you didn't know?"

She blinked, hoping that she hadn't offended him. "Um, no. Sorry... I'm kinda new around here." Dawn glanced over at Rini, who gave her the 'don't look at me' expression.

A look of surprise came across his face. "My deepest apologies. I mistakenly assumed that as Rini's Guardian you would be well-acquainted with Court personae."

_Well, you don't have to rub it in_, she thought. "I'm new," she answered curtly. "Let's just say I've had more field experience compared to my time amongst the posh and elite of the Court."

"I seem to be quite good at offending you. Rini is right, I am drunk," he muttered, looking with sightless eyes at the far side of the booth and avoiding both gazes.

"Liar. You just thought that your reputation would precede you," Rini countered. "In this case, you don't have that advantage."

"Usually, it does," he snapped back. "This is a refreshing change, dealing with someone who lacks inaccurate preconceptions about me. You apparently lack that advantage also, Princess."

Dawn set her coffee on the table, lack of sleep giving her a boldness that she normally wouldn't have used in such a social situation with someone she barely knew. "Will the two of you quit it with the catty remarks? You," she said, pointing at Rini, "can be the most spoiled brat on the face of either planet that I've ever come across, when you want to be. As for you," she said, pointing at Breandon, "you're right, I know nothing about you, with the exception that you seem to have a penchant for scotch and enjoy brooding over blank pieces of paper." She stopped, realizing that she'd shot off her mouth a bit more than she'd intended. "Sorry. Jet lag," she mumbled into her coffee

Breandon sighed. "Nobody said I enjoyed it."

Dawn swallowed, trying to think of a way to redeem herself. Ugh, what an impression to make on her first day here. "Well, is that book all blank pages, or could I maybe see one of your designs?"

He rubbed a hand over his face, the other hand moving to cover the book protectively. "This really isn't a good time, Dawn-san."

"Please?" She turned on the brightest of smiles she could muster. Meanwhile, Rini turned her head to hide the look of sheer amusement that was tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"The sketches aren't worth anything," he pointed out. "To appreciate the beauty of the work you need to see the finished piece."

"And to appreciate the creative mind of the artist, you need to see the concept from which the finished piece is obtained," she countered slyly.

He threw up his hands. "Ah, fine! I can't argue in this state." Shoving the book at her, he downed another shot of scotch.

Rini burst into giggles as Dawn slid into the booth across from Breandon, setting her coffee aside. "Thank you," she answered, taking the sketchbook and opening it. She stopped on the very first page, stunned.

"Wow," she whispered. "You make, like, serious formal stuff. Like... wow." She turned the page to another design. "Who did you make this one for?"

Breandon closed his eyes and tipped his head back against the back of the booth. "The first? Her mother."

Dawn remembered the picture hanging in the hallway she'd seen upon entering the palace. So _that's_ where the dress had come from. "And this one with the... well, I guess it's supposed to be embroidered ivy or something. Who was that for?"

"The Duchess of Tomnahara ... she's famous for her public pleasure gardens." He paused. "Lady Rini remembers more about who wore what when where and why than I do, right now. Why don't you girls take that off somewhere, and return it to me later?"

Dawn shook her head, closing the book and pushing it back towards her. "No, I couldn't do that. This is yours... and I just wanted to know what you did. Now I know, and I can tell Rini to stop giving such a talented artist a hard time." She winked at him and got up. "Maybe I can convince you to show me another drawing some other time, huh?"

He opened his green eyes to gaze at her. "Only if you promise to leave your charge behind." A slow smile curved his mouth. "Then, we could consider it."

Rini opened her mouth to protest, but Dawn's tendency towards innocent flirtation kept her from responding. "We could. I guess we'll run into each other again."

He inclined his head. "As you will."

Rini rolled her eyes and grabbed Dawn by the crook of her arm. "Well, we've all had a long day, so we'd better be off. Say 'good night,' Dawn."

"Good night, Dawn." She winked again at Breandon, sleep deprivation now making her simply slap-happy.

"Smart-ass," Rini mumbled, dragging Dawn away. "Drink well, my dear Rainault," she called over her shoulder.

Behind them, Breandon filled the shot glass again.

* * *

It had only been three days since she'd arrived, but Dawn felt as if she'd been living in New Crystal Tokyo for years. Everyone at the palace knew her by name, from the Planetaries who remembered her from their respective pasts to the guards who frequented the corridors. And her apartment… she was thankful that Eos has such simple tastes. Opening the door to her temporary residence had been a refreshing change of pace from the opulence of the rest of the Palace living quarters. Muted blues and yellows, white linens, and very little furniture gave the suite of rooms a distinctively homey feel.

The wardrobe was another story altogether. As far as size went, she was nearly two inches taller and maybe fifteen pounds lighter than Eos had been when the clothing had been purchased. The fit of the clothing didn't present a real problem; however, style was an entirely different issue. Dawn's love of denim and casual dress didn't fit with the formal activities of the Moon Kingdom. Accompanying the Princess to royal appearances, speeches, courtesy inspections, and luncheons with other dignitary offspring meant that she had to look the part of a no-nonsense, well-trained, and highly intelligent personal bodyguard.

The first day, a breakfast meeting with a handful of daughters of various representatives, Dawn came to the abrupt conclusion that she wasn't supposed to talk to anyone but Rini, and when she did, it was to be in a slight whisper. A friendly 'good morning' she'd directed at one of the younger girls brought stares and a number of rude sounds from the rest of the attendees. From that point on, Dawn kept her mouth shut, not wanting to embarrass herself or Rini any more than she already had.

And the clothes… professional suits, black with a tiny upturned crescent moon, the closet was filled with them. All black… some with skirts, some with blouses of pale blue or pale pink, and a few formal dresses. Dawn assumed it was due to the need to be inconspicuous, and it certainly made her look like hell on heels. Adding a pair of black sunglasses just gave her a more ominous appearance, but didn't keep Rini from telling her that she needed to wear a bit of make-up, or another piece of jewellery, or a better hairstyle than a ponytail.

"Why? Why does it matter what I look like?" Dawn had finally asked, exasperated after having endured the disapproving stares of a roomful of diplomats when she'd fixed her flyaway hair by twisting it up with a pen. "I'm supposed to be a shadow. They shouldn't _care_."

A pair of white pants flew onto the bed, followed by a white tunic as Rini slipped into a bathrobe. "And you're supposed to be sophisticated and well-kept," she answered from behind the bathroom door. "You represent me and my parents by being there, and your appearance makes an impression upon every single person in whatever room you enter. Look good, and they'll assume that you're intelligent and capable. Let one thing slip, and they'll assume that you're inexperienced and an easy target." She stepped out of the bathroom, wrapped in pink. "Image is everything around here."

"The upper crust of Lunarian society, shallow? I never would have guessed." Sarcasm oozed as she kicked off her black heels, flopping onto the sofa.

"You're now part of it," Rini replied flippantly. "Get used to it. And if you ever walk into a meeting with wet hair again, I'll personally beat you with your own shoes."

"I'd like to see you try, munchkin."

"I'll take out your knees, then. Learn to use a hair dryer… and don't wear those sunglasses inside. You looked like a member of the Corellian Mafia when you do that."

Dawn "hmphed" and looked out the window. The spaceport, which had been relatively calm that morning, was now a bustling mass of transports and escort vehicles. "Is there something happening tomorrow? There's an awful lot of traffic over there this afternoon."

"No one TOLD you?" Rini shrieked, her face now covered with cold cream. "I swear, if this is a joke, I'm going to kill you."

"Then I suppose I'll live," Dawn answered, amused. "Told me what?"

Rini glanced at the clock, then at Dawn's appearance, then back to the clock. "We have to be at my parents' suite in two hours to go downstairs for the post-dedication celebration for the new ship of the Lunar Navy. I can't BELIEVE they didn't tell you," she said frantically.

She sat up, annoyed more by Rini's lament than the fact that she'd have to endure royalty for the rest of the evening, when all she really wanted was to try to go back to Greynn's. She hadn't had a minute to herself the entire time, and it was beginning to get to her. "Fine, so I have to look nice. Contrary to popular belief, I _do_ know how to make myself presentable for the most elegant of soirées… and I can do it in under two hours." Stretching her hands above her head, she decided to flex the semi-royal status she had. "Is there a way someone can find me a set of curlers, a clean pair of pantihose, and… what are you doing?"

"That's right, one person for a manicure, another to do hair, and she's going to need a full facial and make-up. Five minutes, please." Rini let go of the intercom button and whirled around. "Did you remember seeing a dress in Eos' closet? A nice one?"

"A black one, with…"

"That'll work fine." She began to pace, hands behind her back. Dawn did her best not to laugh at the petite figure; if it hadn't been for the bathrobe, she'd have been ready to brief the troops before battle. "You've got about twenty minutes to shower and get clean. Don't worry about your eyebrows, we'll get them fixed."

"What the hell is wrong with my…"

"Don't let them put any really bright colours on you when it comes to make-up," Rini hurried on. "French manicure, your hair has to be up, and they'll bring jewellery for you. Don't wear a watch."

"But how will I…"

"And eat something," she finished. "You probably won't eat during the dinner, as you'll have to stand behind me." Rini walked away as if to finish her facial, but stopped and jabbed a finger in Dawn's direction. "And if you even THINK of chewing gum during that time, you're dead meat."

* * *

Strings accompanied a soothing piano melody as polite social conversation took place over dinner. The Princess chatted merrily with the mother of some obscure mining colony heir as he made eyes at Rini every chance he could. Serenity and Endymion were being introduced to the commander of the newly christened SLS _Euripides_ who had the appearance of one about to burst from sheer pleasure and pride. Attendants cleared tables of nearly empty platters, half-drunk glasses, and empty bottles of champagne, and some people had begun to take to the floor to dance. Through it all, Dawn had remained perfectly still, completely attentive, and fairly calm throughout the entire ordeal.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. She discovered immediately that all of the other personal guards and similarly trusted people were male, and in their respective full military uniforms. Clad in a tasteful black floor-length gown that showed off her shoulders without displaying enough cleavage to warrant a stare, Dawn had come to the conclusion that she was the best-dressed bodyguard at the dinner. This epiphany, however small, had brought a serene smile to her face. The one lascivious glance she'd gotten from one of the dignitaries had been met with the nastiest expression she could muster on such short notice.

"Sorry," she apologized under her breath to Rini after she'd turned around. "I probably shouldn't have done that."

"No, that's allowed and even encouraged," she answered in a playful whisper. "No matter what, you should keep them guessing as to how dangerous you could be if provoked."

"Hell, yeah."

Rini suppressed the urge to laugh at Dawn's obvious snub of formality and instead motioned for her to step closer. "Follow me," she whispered out of the side of her mouth. "It's customary for me and my parents to lead the first dance of the evening." She glided alongside Serenity and Endymion while Dawn strode confidently behind them, all business as her eyes swept the crowd for anything suspicious. Dawn stopped at the edge of the ballroom floor, giving the Princess a small bow as she'd been instructed. Rini returned the bow with a sly wink before stepping in front of the _Euripides_ captain. The young man grinned wildly as he took her hand, leading her out into the centre of the floor. Dawn allowed herself a deep breath as she deftly extracted a wrapped butterscotch from the sleeve of her gown. Faking a yawn, she popped the candy into her mouth and relished the sugary sweetness. She'd have to find some real food later.

At the opposite side of the hall, a trio of overly perfumed and primped middle-aged women crowded around one man who was impeccably attired in sapphire blue. Eyes of peridot sparkled as he indulged them in polite yet charming conversation.

"As I've said, my dear Lady Vartouhi, your delicate frame demands a lighter fabric, something in a blush rose perhaps?" Breandon gestured to the hunter green brocade that the woman wore. "Lovely, to be sure, but far too sombre for such a light-hearted woman as yourself."

She laughed, the embarrassed titter hidden behind a jewel-encrusted hand. "Ah, but I'm not young enough for such things," she replied. "My daughter, however…" She beamed at a fourteen-year-old girl whose overbite was merely enhanced by the vibrant magenta lipstick she wore. "Perhaps she could benefit from one of your renowned designs."

He stood, bowing to the teenager as she let out a whinnying laugh. "One day, perhaps. If you'll pardon me, I must see to something." Feminine coos of protest met his ears, and he bestowed a final dazzling smile on the group. "A pleasure as always, my ladies." He left them to gossip over what could possibly pull him away from them, melting into the well-dressed crowd that had paused to observe the first dance of the evening.

Dawn secretly envied the soft leather slippers that Rini wore on her feet, currently hidden by the hem of her gown. Stuck in a pair of none too comfortable heeled sandals, she made a mental note to remind her charge that she required adequate footwear to protect her royal Pinkness from the threats of the century. Shifting her weight, she gave one sore heel a bit of relief… she was pretty certain that going barefoot could hardly be considered proper.

"You'll pardon the observation, but your choice of attire for this evening hardly does you justice."

Dawn turned to her left as the handsome figure of the man she'd met days ago at Greynn's bowed in greeting. Worried about Rini's demand that she remain inconspicuous, she gave him the smallest of smiles. "And a lovely evening to you as well," she replied softly. "You're looking pretty spiffy yourself."

'Spiffy' was hardly the adjective one would have used to describe Breandon's evening attire. It evoked images of medieval European nobility, the crisp white of a ruffled shirt an elegant contrast to the rich blue of a doublet and short pants. Trimmed in gold and complemented by a matching short cape and handsomely crafted slippers, the outfit caught the eye of nearly everyone in the room. With his long hair caught back such that it hung in a single queue down his back, Breandon was the very image of the refined gentleman at Court, punctuated by the way he bowed and took Dawn's hand.

"I don't mean to be rude or anything," she whispered, tensing at his touch. "I'm supposed to kind of be in the background."

"Being a bodyguard hardly means that you should be ignored," he replied, lifting her hand to his lips and kissing the inside of her wrist lightly. "On the contrary, one should show you the proper respect that should be afforded to a Guardian."

The stark contrast between Dawn's pale skin and the sombre blackness of her gown made her blushing only more apparent. "Well, um, thank you," she managed to reply, mind racing for some kind of response. "But you're saying that you don't like the dress they've made me wear."

He stepped back a pace and eyed her speculatively. "While I'm sure it is appropriate to what you perceive your place to be, it is – ahem – highly unflattering." An amused smile lit his eyes. "I think, my dear, that did you wish to divert attention from yourself, you could hardly have failed more spectacularly."

"That bad, huh?" She found her reflection in a nearby window and cringed inwardly. Now that she thought about it, the gown gave her a far too severe appearance. "What's wrong, specifically?"

He frowned, one hand behind his back as he critiqued the gown. "You should never be in black," Breandon began. "That would be the first mistake. And this," he went on, nodding at the front of the dress. "It's far too high. I believe one could take better advantage of your figure with a lower cut, combined with a less severe overall design."

_So I need more colour and more cleavage_, she thought to herself with a giggle. "I'll keep that in mind the next time I start picking out dresses for these sorts of things, then. Anything else?"

A smile played on his lips. "You would do best to be more conspicuous in a different manner. Rather than hide as you are, you should attend such functions as someone else."

Dawn tilted her head to the side, considering the strategy that he had proposed. In a way, it made sense. Maybe she could bring that up with Rini tomorrow, once this whole thing was over. For now, she could only curse her footwear and watch the couples dancing. She glanced sideways at Breandon, wondering just how odd she'd look towering over him during an intricate waltz. Maybe if she got rid of the sandals…

"I gotta get out of here." Rini glided up to Dawn, interrupting her reverie. "If I have to fake a smile at another simpering male who would like nothing better than to get his hands under my corset, I'm gonna – " She stopped, noticing Breandon standing there. "Good evening, my dear Rainault," she began with a dazzling display of white teeth. "You look marvellous."

He bowed slightly, the corner of his mouth in a smirk as he spoke. "You can save your salutations for someone else, your Highness. I don't believe I fall in that category." Turning to Dawn, he bowed once more. "Always a pleasure."

"Likewise," she laughed, attempting a slight curtsy that made one foot scream in pain. "And thank you for the advice."

He nodded again in reply as the pair slipped out of the ballroom, Dawn's longer legs easily keeping step with Rini's quickening pace. "And why were you talking with him?" Rini hissed, turning the corner.

"He said he didn't like my dress," she answered casually. "Granted, he said it politely, but he was awfully critical." Dawn followed Rini into the lift, waiting until the doors shut to remove her sandals. "And these are the most uncomfortable shoes I've ever worn," she exclaimed, holding one up for emphasis. "If we have to do this again, I'm going barefoot unless there's a better option."

Rini's face showed a look of horror at Dawn's suggestion. "We'll get you better shoes, then. The alternative would be more embarrassing than… well, I don't know at the moment." Arriving at the floor that contained the private suites, the two of them exited the elevator. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get a hot bath and collapse."

"Just take your dress off, first," Dawn laughed. "So, am I off duty for the night?"

Rini nodded. "Yeah. I'm not going anywhere. Why?"

"Just curious," she said, thinking of a decent excuse to get out. "I mean, you said that Greynn's was a good place to go… and I'm starved," Dawn finished pointedly, hoping that would work for her. "I need a change of scenery."

"Just stay out of trouble, and don't do anything to embarrass me," she warned, shaking a finger at her. "If I hear anything…"

"Yes, mother. I'll behave." Dawn waited as Rini went inside and the security code was enabled. Finally with the chance to be alone, she raced back to her room to change into something far more comfortable. The black dress banished to the back of the closet, Dawn emerged in denim and lavender minutes later. Unable to contain her excitement at the prospect of a few hours of freedom, she raced down the corridor, much to the amusement of the few guards on duty. They couldn't blame her… they'd seen her predecessor do the exact same thing.


	3. Meetings

Chapter Two – Meetings 

Light cast from the Earth on the horizon spilled through the half-open windows of a modest studio apartment several kilometres from the palace grounds. Inside, Breandon lay amidst crisp black sheets, eyes half closed as he absently stroked the soft auburn tresses of the young woman who lay sleeping on his chest. A light sheen of sweat covered them both, testament to the activities of the past hour. He sighed, images from earlier in the evening playing over in his mind. _Perhaps a burgundy… no, something lighter…_"Lavender, maybe," he murmured softly. "A delicate, more light-hearted colour…"

"Colour for what?" Her fingertips trailed over his chest.

"Your dress, Dawn," he answered gently.

"DAWN!" The young woman sat up in bed, anger evident in her green eyes and the flush that appeared in her cheeks. "You can't even remember my name fifteen minutes after you, you…" Furious, she pulled the black sheet off the bed, wrapping it around herself as she retrieved her clothing.

Breandon simply rolled to his side, amused. "It's actually been over an hour, and I highly doubt you would have heard anything before then. You're quite noisy."

"Yeah, well… it was faked," she shot back haughtily, almost dressed.

He laughed, the low tone barely audible past the bed. "Now, that's just a boldface lie," he replied. "You actually seemed to enjoy yourself."

Outraged, she flung one of his shoes at him before slamming the door behind her. Still chuckling, he sat up and pulled on a simple pair of black silk pants before reassembling the bed. It wasn't the first time that an evening companion had stormed out before the sun rose. At least she hadn't been dragged out by an angry brother… or father… or other large male family member.

A row of bonsai lined the windowsill in the kitchen, testament to Breandon's other pastime. The sketchbook lay on the table, blank pages begging for some bit of creativity upon them. Ignoring both momentarily, he set about preparing coffee. The heavy aroma soon filled the entire apartment, and Breandon sat with a cup at the table, fingers absently stroking the blank page before him.

_Why her?_ The question gnawed at the edge of his conscious, the image of the decidedly unconventional young woman replaying itself over and over in his mind's eye. From a purely aesthetic standpoint, she wasn't any better looking than any of the myriad of women he'd chased through the years. She had a tendency to be crass and outspoken, and discarded formality any chance she had. He ran a hand through the impossibly long strands of hair that had worked their way loose from the queue. It simply didn't make any sense…

_So why bother thinking about it, then?_ Pushing the sketchbook away, he turned his attention to the recently neglected bonsai. He didn't expect sleep to come for a few hours, and this would occupy the time until then.

* * *

The spaceport was nearly empty, save for a group of uniformed guards and a handful of mechanics keeping up with repairs to some of the smaller escort shuttles of the Royal Family's personal fleet. The collection of personnel all snapped to attention as Queen Serenity exited the shuttle that had just arrived. Endymion was there to greet her, his expression quickly matching his wife's anxious frown that showed on her face. Taking her hand, he leaned in close as they walked the length of the spaceport.

"I can't go back there by myself," she said quietly. "Not even with the additional bodyguards and plain-clothes operatives we have stationed there."

His grip instinctively tightened. "What did they – "

"Nothing happened," she hurried on. "I just think that a family social visit would be better received. Besides, it would force them to be on their best behaviour," she added dryly.

"I doubt it," he replied, pulling her in close to him. "It would risk your safety, Rini's, not to mention the people we'd have to bring along…"

"And anything happening during a well-publicized visit would ruin their image, and both you and I know that the Arronné family would kill their own mothers rather than risk their sophisticate image they strive to keep." She kissed him lightly on the cheek, squeezing his hand tightly. "One of the lovely nuances of Pavori society, my dear."

Endymion managed a bit of a grumble. "I don't know about this…"

"We have to meet with them in a more social setting," she reasoned. "They control over half of the known phosphera mines, and we can't afford to have that supply compromised, especially with the upcoming renovation of the Lunar fleet." The pale yellow crystals were an integral component of most of the vital systems present in every ship available to the Lunar Navy. Far more efficient than any battery that had been developed, they were convenient to handle and could be stored in a standard supply closet on the ship. Unfortunately, no one had figured out how to synthesize them in a laboratory setting, so they were forced to deal with the governments and clans that had laid claim to the few known deposits. The Pavori society had blossomed after the discovery of phosphera on one of the moons they inhabited, and the stranglehold they had mastered on the supply had caused them to become incredibly wealthy in only a few generations' time. Almost on par with royalty, the Arronné family demanded the respect that came with such wealth and power, through charm or intimidation.

He shook his head as he opened the door of the transport for Serenity. "You might be right, but I still don't like it." He slid in beside her as another guard shut the door, another bodyguard getting in next to the driver before they sped off for the palace.

"I'm not fond of the whole thing either," she sighed, resting her head on his shoulders. "It's a necessary evil, unfortunately."

He kissed her forehead, then settled back against the leather seat. "Unfortunately," he echoed. "Can we worry about the details in the morning."

"It's already morning, dear," she mumbled sleepily. "We'll discuss it later."

* * *

While it was technically morning, Dawn's night hadn't ended. Truth be told, she didn't want to go back to the palace until she was good and tired… spending the day with Rini while they entertained some influential women's group had soured her disposition to the point where she felt the need to be as unsophisticated and unladylike as possible. Naturally, she'd found her way to Greynn's, clad in a screaming red blouse that complimented the black leather skirt and boots she'd discovered in Eos' closet. Her hair wild, her attitude teetering on the brink of insane, and a bit of alcohol in her system, Dawn had the image of one woman that no sane man would dare approach. Vince had been kind enough to break out the rum for her, and she kicked a second shot back. On a whim, she decided to attempt to balance the shot glass on her nose, tilting her head back.

A shadow blocked her light – a short shadow. "Is it even possible to do that?" a familiarly cultured voice asked.

"What, you never tried?" She concentrated, lifting her chin to compensate for the slope of her nose. "And no offence, but I'm not in the greatest of moods at the moment."

Breandon came into her range of vision, completing a shrug. "No offence, but I didn't come to see you." He lifted a hand to Vince, at the bar, who waggled a bottle of designer water at him before shooting it down the bar. "Thank you, Vince." Taking his water, Breandon spun on one heel, the end of his ponytail whipping perilously close to Dawn's face, and settled down at a nearby table.

The shot glass slid off the edge of her nose, courtesy of the hair-induced breeze. She managed to sit up and catch it, slamming it next to the rum. "Are you looking for a fight, or are you always this..." She searched for the right word, and failed. "Nonchalant, show-offy, and... water? You're drinking water in a bar?"

Breandon tipped the bottle in a salute. "I don't always come to get drunk." He fished a pack of cards out of a shirt pocket, spreading them across the table. "In fact," he continued, "tonight I'm merely meeting someone. A friend."

"I thought you didn't mingle much," she answered, stretching her legs out over another barstool and crossing her ankles. Adjusting a wrinkle in her black tights, she reached again for the rum. "Business or pleasure?"

"I don't mingle at Court," he corrected. "I come here rather often. For _pleasure_."

The way he said the last word made an unpleasant shiver roll over Dawn's skin. "Well, then... my apologies for distracting you."

Breandon bared his teeth. "You didn't. Go back to your drinking, little girl. Finish sulking and go back to Our Royal Pinkness."

Dawn leapt from her seat and planted one hand on his table. "Then I'll do it now and leave you alone afterwards." She leaned over, her voice a mezzo growl. "I'm not little, I'll sit in my melancholy for as long as I damn well please, and if I could go without setting foot in that damned castle for another twenty four hours, I'd be almost orgasmic."

A tall figure, crowned with short, wild, dark hair, manoeuvred gangly limbs through the doorway. He lifted a hand and waved to Breandon, who waved back, ignoring Dawn's heated comment. "Yo, Kieran!"

"Heyla! Bren. Who's the babe?" The person winked a shocking purple eye at Dawn, still standing in furious attitude.

Dawn whirled around at the 'babe' comment, and came face to shoulders with whom she assumed was Breandon's evening companion. Lifting her head, she gave him a dazzling smile coupled with a flirtatious wink. "Dawn Connolly," she replied with a purr.

Kieran held out a large, well-calloused hand. "I'm Kieran Taliesin Patric Dubhglas, and pleased to meet you." He displayed a surprisingly shy smile.

She shook his hand, then stepped back against the table to give her neck a break. The man was just... well, tall would have been an understatement. "Likewise. Well, while you're quite charming, your companion here just doesn't seem to measure up. Pleasure meeting you, doll." Another smile, and then a colder variety at Breandon, and she headed off for the pool tables.

Kieran blinked innocently at Breandon. "I think you made her mad, Bren. I don't think she'll sleep with you now."

Breandon made a face and scooped up the cards. "That wasn't the idea. Not the idea at all. Come play, and stop speculating on my love life."

"Or lack thereof."

"Or lack thereof."

Kieran folded his length into the seat across from Breandon and immediately became immersed in the cards.

Across the room, the thwack and thud of a furious one-person game of pool had commenced. Dawn flipped her hair away from her face and bent over the table, leather reflecting the scant amount of light in the bar.

Five minutes passed, punctuated only by the crack of billiard balls and the soft shluff of cards. Breandon's attention wandered more and more often to the leather-clad figure at the pool table.

Kieran took three hands in a row, and frowned at the cards. "Your game is bad tonight, Bren. You're out of practice – or not paying attention?" The figure of Dawn stretched the length of the table, one foot off the ground as she attempted the final shot. Breandon practically held his breath, watching her. Kieran waved a hand in front of his face. "Helloo?"

_Thunk_. Perfect game. Pushing herself up such that she sat demurely on the edge, Dawn caught sight of her admirer. Emboldened by the success of her game and the rum in her system, she recrossed her legs and blew a saucy kiss in Breandon's general direction.

Breandon promptly turned red. Kieran apparently found that very interesting, because he started to poke at his friend. Breandon swatted him, and turned his back on Dawn.

Kieran's eyes went round. "You're sulking! Aww, that's so cute. Right? Cute is the right word?" Vince muffled laughter.

Dawn's amusement echoed through the bar, growing closer as she approached the table. Angling herself such that her top displayed the right amount of cleavage, she steadied herself with her cue less than a foot from her target. "Guardian, one. Designer to the stars, zero."

Breandon didn't reply. Kieran looked back and forth. "I don't get it ... "

"And neither will he," Vince called from his spot at the bar. Dawn looked back, catching the double entendre immediately.

Breandon smacked the empty water bottle down on the table. "I don't come here to be made fun of."

"And I didn't come here to have someone stare at my ass, but hey... it happens." She ran her tongue over her lips. "What can ya do about it?"

Breandon stared at her, peridot-green eyes gone flat and narrow. "You know what you need, Guardian?" he began.

"What?" Interested, she relaxed slightly against the cue.

He stood up, hooking a toe around the base of the cue and jerking. "You require some taming, little Guardian."

Dawn crashed to the floor, mouth hitting the cue such that the corner of her mouth bled slightly. She rolled on her back, pushing herself up to a sitting position before dabbing her lip with a finger. "You cocky little son of a bitch," she swore. "I'm no one's Pygmalion project."

"A what?"

She sneered, getting up. "Pygmalion. Basis for My Fair Lady. It's a..." She stopped suddenly, eyeing him. "Never mind." Twentieth century literary works were not her forte this late at night. "Not important," she finished.

Breandon stood over her, a small dark part of him relishing the chance to finally be taller than this arrogant young Guardian. He snatched at her wrist, attempting to yank her up.

"Don't." She pulled her hand away, her pride hurt more than anything else. Dawn stood up and brushed her hair from her face. "Some gentleman you are," she mumbled.

Breandon grabbed her wrist this time in a strong grip. He rose on his toes, fully aware of how ludicrous it would look and annoyed by it, and hissed into her face, "I never claimed to be a gentleman."

"Then I'm horribly sorry that I gave you the benefit of the doubt when I met you." She caught her voice before it cracked, sarcasm covering a tearful rage that threatened to break loose at any moment.

He all but threw her wrist down. "Damn you. _Damn you_. Get out of my dreams. Get out of my mind. _Leave me alone_."

Confused, she stepped back a few paces, her head tilted to the side in a terribly bewildered fashion. Swallowing hard, she looked back to Vince, who merely shrugged as he put away the rum.

A horridly bent smile turned Breandon's face into something resembling a demented clown's. "You don't understand," he cooed. "You're thinking, 'I didn't DO anything!' You exist. Your very existence is quite enough."

Dawn's chocolate brown eyes widened at the statement. "You're right, I exist. And I'm going to go exist somewhere else for the rest of my evening." Wiping the corner of her mouth, she stumbled over a barstool. Dawn righted it as she backed up, trying to maintain eye contact with the smiling Rainault.

Kieran, until then forgotten by the two antagonists, put out a hand to help Dawn right the stool. Breandon stalked past him, following Dawn. "Bren, don't ..." Kieran knew the attempt was futile even as he made it. Emotions were just so much static to him.

Breandon grabbed both Dawn's wrists and jerked her face down to his, capturing her mouth in a fierce, brief moment.

The gasp and protest that Dawn would have made were abruptly cut off. Gooseflesh broke out over her skin as her body relaxed in serene enjoyment, then immediately stiffened in shock and something not unlike terror. Wrenching herself away, she gasped for air and involuntarily whimpered. Breandon turned on a heel and walked away, feigning unconcern. Dawn's lower lip quivered as her throat tightened. Not having the capacity to deal with the onslaught of emotions in such a public place, she did the only thing she could... run out.

* * *

"Wake UP!" A pillow nailed Dawn squarely in the face, prompting her to sit up and let fly with a pillow of her own. It went wide, missing Rini's figure by a few feet and landing next to Dawn's discarded outfit from the night before. She gave a feline arch and flopped back down amidst the sheets.

"You wanted something?" She mumbled into the remaining pillows, pulling the comforter back over her shoulders.

"Well, we'd like to talk to you, Dawn."

Immediately coherent, Dawn sat straight up and gave the most embarrassed of smiles to Queen Serenity, who stood in the doorway. Even in a white dressing gown, she looked elegant and regal. "Then I guess I'd better get out of bed, your Majesty," she managed sheepishly.

"Just stay there," Serenity laughed, much to Rini's surprise. She took a seat at the vanity in the bedroom. "This won't take long, but it would be better you know some details now before we leave this afternoon."

_Leave?_ "Going somewhere? And I'm coming along?" The rum, although only a small amount, had given her a slight headache that throbbed behind her eyes. What she wouldn't give for a cup of coffee…

"Duh," Rini snapped. "You're my Guardian. You have to."

"Watch it, young lady," Serenity answered in a tone of warning. "You can be catty once we get to Pavori space. You'll fit right in," she finished wryly.

The expression on Dawn's face resembled that of a child being told to take a spoonful of vile medicine. "Another bunch of image-loving socialites? Swell." She sighed, taking a second to realize that this wasn't exactly the best place for sarcasm. "Sorry, your Majesty."

"No need to apologize. I'm not fond of them, either." She refolded her hands on her lap. "They're very into stature and image, and the concept of personal assistants and bodyguards is ingrained in their society. Only the most important figures can afford to hire them, and most of these escorts are regarded in a separate upper class." She smiled brightly at Dawn, who was unable to mask her interest. "Actually, in Pavori society, you'd outrank most of the Planetaries, as you're the personal bodyguard of the Imperial Princess."

"That's… interesting," the slightly unkempt Guardian replied. "So, bottom line is, I have to really behave?"

Rini made a small strangling noise in her throat, which Serenity silenced with a glare. "Actually, Endymion and I would prefer it if you present a more antagonistic persona. The more dangerous you appear to them at first glance, the less likely it will be for them to attempt anything when it comes to Rini. In addition," she said with a sly grin, "having you along puts us on par with the Pavori, status-wise. To put it plainly, you are the epitome of a personal bodyguard, and the Arronné family will be in utter awe of your abilities, not to mention the fact that you work directly for the Lunar Kingdom."

_So I have license… no, wait, direct orders from Serenity herself to act like a badass during the whole trip?_ "I can manage that, no problem," she answered with a devilish grin. "How long will this last?"

"Two days," Serenity said with a melodramatic sigh. "Personally, that's about thirty-six hours too much for me. The visit is intended to be a social one, but Endymion and I will be meeting with the Arronné family during the day to informally discuss issues relating to a resource stranglehold." She rolled her eyes, and for a moment Dawn saw the bubble-headed and impatient college girl she had left before her summer vacation. "They're just horrid."

Dawn chewed her lip thoughtfully, wincing as she hit the spot where the cue had stabbed her the night before. "Sounds like it. So, do Rini and I come with you to your meetings, or are there other plans for us?"

Serenity smoothed the fabric of her dressing gown over her lap as she spoke. "It depends. Both of you are coming along to present a non-threatening image. It would look _very_ bad for anyone associated with the Arronné family to act hostile towards myself or any member of my family while we were there on a social visit." She plastered a saccharine smile on her face, prompting both Dawn and Rini to laugh out loud. Serenity chuckled as she winked at the pair. "You might come along with us, or they may want to take you on tours to try and impress you. What's vital is that the two of you are never separated." Her voice took on a more serious tone as she stood up. "I don't trust any of them, and neither of you should, either."

"Oh, I don't trust anyone who thinks I'm something special," Dawn deadpanned. "You want me to terrify them, I can do that."

"No kidding. I'll play demure, you play deadly. It'll be fun." Rini grinned fiercely at her mother. "This is a time to play?"

"Oh, yes. This is definitely a time to play," Serenity replied, her expression mimicking her daughter's. "And Dawn?"

"Yeah?" The yawn escaped before she could correct herself. "I mean, yes, your Majesty?"

"You'll have to travel in your Senshi fuku. It's a symbolic thing." Standing up, she nodded at Rini. "You've got about three hours to get your things packed. If I know Arrturo Arronné, he'll want to have some massive welcoming dinner to show off his estate and his daughters. If you look anything less than stellar, you're in for it. That goes for you, too," she said to Dawn. "I'll see the pair of you at the spaceport later." With that, she gracefully exited the room, leaving the two girls to stare at each other in shock.

"The FUKU?" Dawn slid out of bed, her nightshirt hanging off of her shoulder. Her reflection in the bedroom mirror showed a slight bruise on the corner of her mouth. "Why does that outfit strike me as less than professional?"

Rini flopped into the chair that her mother had previously occupied. "Because you don't understand how it is here. That Senshi fuku, it's the ultimate status symbol. You wear that, you're immediately recognized as an elite member of the Moon Kingdom's most prized tradition."

"Oh." Now it made perfect sense.

"And what happened to your mouth?" She had finally noticed Dawn examining the bruise. "Bite something the wrong way?"

"Pool cue," she mumbled, thinking back to the night before. Stupid son of a bitch, she would give Breandon Rainault a piece of her mind when she saw him again. What gentleman took the opportunity to send a lady sprawling to the floor of a bar… _but he never claimed to be a gentleman,_ she thought to herself… _and I sure as hell can't claim to be a lady_. _Why did he kiss me anyway… tells me to leave, then kisses me like that, and then just walks off… but that kiss, it was just… damn it all. Boys…_

"Well, put some make-up over it… you look like you got caught in a bar fight." Disappearing into the closet, Rini began selecting Dawn's wardrobe for the trip. "Get clean, I'll get your stuff together for this trip."

"But you're the Princess. You have to get ready to leave as well…"

"And you have to look presentable," Rini interrupted, emerging with a few of the black suits. "I mean, you have to go all out. Dry hair and everything."

Dawn disappeared into the bathroom to get a much-needed shower. "I can do that," she called. "Just find me a better dress than what I wore before."

"Better?"

"As in no black." She stuck her tongue out at her reflection, remembering what had been said to her at the dinner. Shedding her nightshirt, she climbed into the shower and relished the warm water running over her skin. In the bedroom, Rini frowned at the selection of clothes on the bed. It'd have to do… at least, for now. The fuku was the most important part, she reminded herself. With Dawn, it was nothing like they'd seen before.

For that matter, Dawn herself was nothing like they'd seen before. Rini allowed herself a smug grin with that thought and headed back to her own room under the watchful eyes of the palace guard. The Pavori would certainly be in for a surprise when they met the new Guardian.

* * *

By noon, Breandon had managed to pull himself out of his otherwise empty bed, take a shower, and nurse a very large cup of coffee. Dark circles under his eyes gave evidence to a fitful night's sleep. The blank pages of his sketchbook sat in the centre of the kitchen table, almost mocking him. Scowling, he reached over and closed the book roughly before throwing it on a chair. "Damn her," he muttered aloud to the bonsai. Images of the auburn-tressed Guardian had filled his dreams for the better part of the night, scenes from Greynn's replaying themselves over and over in his mind's eye. Other images had managed to work their way into his subconscious, images that were far tamer than the woman he'd managed to encounter only three times in the space of a few weeks. Three times, and twice they had been under fairly confrontational circumstances. Confrontational on her part, he thought smugly.

A knock at the door interrupted his train of thought. He padded barefoot to the door, one hand still holding his coffee while the other pressed the intercom. "Yes?"

"Breandon Rainault, I'd like to have a word with you, if I may." The authoritative tone of a female voice came back into the apartment. Unlocking the door, he came face to face with the somewhat familiar figure of Sailor Pluto, who stood with her arms folded and a disapproving expression on her otherwise lovely face.

"Of course," he replied, stepping back so she could enter. "Please, have a seat. Could I get you some coffee, perhaps?"

Pluto frowned. "I'll stand, thank you. You, however, might want to sit down." She nodded at the wooden table and chairs, waiting until he resumed his place. "Now," she began sternly. "It's come to my attention that you've made the acquaintance of one Dawn Connolly. Is this true?"

"If you want to put it that way, then yes, I have. The Princess introduced her to me, and I've encountered her a few times since then." He shrugged, setting the coffee on the table. "What of it?"

"Care to explain your behaviour in Greynn's last night?" She glowered at him. "According to my sources, the two of you decided to exchange insults until she fell over, at which point you resembled a madman and forced yourself on her."

"Yes, she and I had a heated discussion. Yes, I kissed her. If you'd like my personal opinion, I think she deserved it, for the way she was acting and flaunting herself," he shot back. "Are those the kind of qualities you look for in a Guardian?"

Pluto drew herself up stiffly, jabbing a finger in his face. "That young woman, whether you're aware of it or not, is the personal Guardian of the Princess."

"As I've been reminded multiple times."

"And you are not to associate yourself with her in any more than a professional manner as one would assume at Court," Pluto finished.

"My professional manner or yours?" He took a sip of coffee.

"Professional manner meaning that you are not to associate with her outside of official Palace functions. That young woman is not to be the object of your…" Pluto tried to find a somewhat tactful arrangement of words. "Exuberant and short-lived lustful adventures." _So much for tact_.

"My WHAT?" Breandon leapt to his feet, slamming the mug on the table.

She rolled her eyes, not in the mood for theatrics. "You've managed to gain a reputation as a very charming young man who brings home pretty girls to play with on a fairly regular basis. I'm telling you that _that_ woman is not to be grouped in that category."

"Would you care to explain that dictate?" he shot back acidly.

"Because I SAID so," Pluto snapped. "Because she can't afford to be distracted by you, or by anyone else."

"I am NOT a distraction," he answered hotly. Breandon overrode Pluto before she could reply to that piece of arrogance. "It never seems to occur to you Senshi types that you're NOT the only ones who can protect people."

Pluto's eyes went flat, and she stared down at Breandon. "This is not an issue of protection. This is an issue of my informing you to distance yourself from Dawn."

Breandon turned away, looking out the window with blind eyes. "I don't think I can."

"Excuse me?"

"I said, I don't think I can." The affronted expression fell off his face, replaced with a pensive weariness Pluto was pretty sure wasn't common.

"Care to tell me why?"

"It would be really great if I could explain to myself why she keeps showing up in my damn dreams!" he exploded. "Anyway, she likes the same bar I do, and I'm not going to stop going there just on your say-so."

Pluto delicately took a seat, resting an elbow on the table. "Well, it's the only place I'll let her go, but that's beside the point." She tapped her fingers on the table lightly, quite intrigued. "What's this about your dreams?"

"Never mind," he muttered, sounding rather like a sulky small boy. "You don't care if I pine away and die, anyway."

Pluto suppressed the urge to chuckle. "Since you designed that dazzling work of art for me a few years ago, I do have a certain fondness for you." She picked up the sketchbook from the chair next to her and set it on the table.

Breandon picked it up and flipped to a page close to the back, then passed it to her. "Do you think it will suit her?" The sketch in question showed a floor length gown, both flowing and formfitting, with open loose sleeves and a swirl of train.

"Suit whom?"

"Dawn."

She glanced from sketch to artist, and then back to the sketch. "It's very lovely, and a very simple design that should do both her and the gown justice." She raised her head to speak. "What prompted this idea?"

"I wish I knew."

"Serenity didn't ask for something like this? Or Rini?"

"No."

Pluto eyed him warily. "Did something happen last night that I should be aware of?"

"Oh, it's been going on since long before last night."

A sigh of frustration escaped her lips. "Since when, then? And maybe in more than just a handful of words?"

Breandon pondered the blowing leaves outside the window. "You're expecting me to explain something even I don't understand. I don't know if I can get you to believe me when I say that I don't want to play with her." He laid emphasis on 'play'. "I want to ... cherish her, protect her, but she can be so – EXASPERATING, sometimes. So independent."

Pluto smiled in spite of herself. "That she is," she answered fondly.

"Did you know we've only ever met three times? Just three. It's not SUPPOSED to happen like this!" He smacked a fist down on the arm of the chair.

"What's not supposed to happen?"

He rubbed a hand over his face, hiding most of the blush that came to it. "The subjugation by female of the most notoriously difficult to tame bachelor in the entire Lunar capital," he replied, the phrasing humorous but the tone not.

She blinked, aeons of practice allowing her to conceal the shock that came with such a statement. Truth be told, she had to agree, but on an entirely different level. Something like this was certainly not supposed to happen... knowing what lay ahead for Dawn in her future in the 21st century. "Well, I imagine that's something that neither you nor I had anticipated upon her arrival here."

"I didn't even know she was coming. Sure, I heard about Eos, who has – " He blinked. "She's Eos, isn't she? Another Eos. From the ... past. Kishikata no Eos, the Eos of the past. Damn."

She passed a hand over her eyes, massaging the dull throb that had begun in her forehead. "You realize this is proprietary information, correct? Not something that is to be spread about the kingdom as common knowledge?"

"Do I look stupid to you?" he snapped back.

"I didn't mean to imply that you were," she answered curtly. "Dawn is a Guardian, one that I had to tap more than ten years ago to protect the Princess when she was living in the late twentieth century. Myrannda – Eos – can trace her lineage back to Dawn's family. Considering the circumstances, I had to tap her and bring her here." She closed her eyes, the headache only intensifying.

"I understand. I really do," he repeated at her sceptical look. "Winter would break all my bones for me if I didn't. Which is why I'm supposed to stay away from her. I just don't really think I can ... not be around her."

She threw her hands in the air. "Well, I give up. All I can tell you are the facts. Personally, I'm getting tired of playing the wicked witch when it comes to these sorts of things." Her voice softened as she realized that this was not the time or place for such a tirade. "I'm telling you this simply because I don't want to see her hurt. She's an amazing creature, and I already feel terrible about putting her in this situation."

"I wouldn't hurt her. I couldn't hurt her. I'd rather take the blow myself than let her get hurt," Breandon replied absently. His brain reconnected to his mouth, and he realized what he'd been saying. And to whom. "I mean, uh ... "

Pluto stood up, smoothing out the wrinkles in her suit. "I think I understand," she said quietly. "You'll keep what I said in mind?"

He looked up at her, bewildered green eyes making him look about half his age – whatever that was. "Please don't ask me to do this, Pluto ..."

"Fine," she answered in a harsh voice. "Then don't. I'm merely trying to help keep things in perspective."

He flinched, a tear slipping down the side of his nose.

"Breandon ..."

"Don't you think you've done enough?"

"Actually, I don't think I've tried nearly as hard as I should have." Disgusted with herself, Pluto turned for the door. "And if anything, anything at all should happen to her on your account, you will answer to me. Not the Princess, not Serenity... me."

"You're awfully good at that guilt-tripping stuff."

Her eyes narrowed. "Remember what I said," she cautioned as she left. "I don't give warnings lightly."


	4. Duty

Chapter Three – Duty 

The tap of a cane against the freshly polished hallway accompanied the baritone voice of the Arronné family patriarch. At an imposing height of six and a half feet, Arrturo cast a shadow over the sylphlike figure of his only daughter who kept pace alongside of him.

"You should have brought Halle with you," he grumbled. "I don't pay him to sit in the servants' quarters, I pay him to accompany you when you go out."

"I told him to wait in the transport for us," she replied sweetly. "Did you really think I'd come with you to meet the Lunar Imperials without him?"

"Syrrene, you are delightfully unpredictable," he managed gruffly. "And your brothers?"

"Already at the docking station. Uncle Osvi's with them, too." She stopped, checking her reflection in one of the mirrors that adorned the hall. White-blond ringlets were pulled away from her face with a jewel-trimmed headband, and the light honeyed tan she'd acquired on a recent holiday made her aquamarine eyes stand out. She fixed a few strands of hair before rejoining her father. "Whatever would you do without me, Papa?"

"I'd be forced to rely on your mother for such things, and that's not something I want to think about," he answered dryly. "She doesn't have your attention to detail."

"Only when she shops," Syrrene corrected. "Is Serenity bringing her whole family here?"

"Unfortunately."

She pursed her lightly glossed lips. "Do they have personal guards?"

"It depends." He lifted his cane and rapped sharply on the door at the end of the hallway. "I believe she has a guard for her daughter, but not herself." The door swung open, revealing a jet-black transport waiting for them under an enormous canopy. "I suppose she believes that her husband can protect her."

Syrrene suppressed a cold laugh with the back of her hand. "Well, that's ridiculous. Can she not afford a second for herself?"

He sighed. "Their entire culture has so many archaic nuances based upon dead Terran customs, it's impossible to find the right reason." Before he could say more, a wall of a man emerged from the transport and held the door open for him. Clad in a white business suit, the onyx-skinned Halle bowed to both Arrturo and Syrrene.

"Pleasant day, Mr. Arronné, Miss Syrrene." Bass rumbled over the sound of the transport engine.

"That's entirely subjective, Halle," the older man replied. "How long until the shuttle from the Lunar Kingdom arrives?"

"Eight minutes, sir. Just picked it up on the near-surface tracking satellite."

He gave a gruff nod, waiting as his daughter fluidly slipped into the transport. "And I don't want to be late."

"Of course not, sir." He waited until Arrturo had joined Syrrene in the back seat, then firmly shut the door. Fitting himself into the front seat next to the driver, he signalled to the rest of the convoy. Seconds later, a line of six identical black transports wound their way through the streets towards the Pavori docking station.

* * *

Dawn, now in her full regalia as Sailor Eos, stood nervously in a corner of the shuttle while the captain manoeuvred it into the docking station. Serenity fussed with her daughter's hair, smoothing the odangos she sported. Rini glanced up at Dawn and laughed.

"What?" Dawn's head snapped up.

"Will you take it easy? This is nothing," Rini said with a wave of her hand. "You're in the outfit, you're not alone, and everything is going just fine."

"So you say," she countered, fingers tugging at the hem of her top. It seemed to be more form-fitting than she remembered. "I bet none of the other female Pavori guards have something like this to wear." As she spoke, Endymion and Serenity exchanged expressions of identical concern. "What? Something I should know?"

"Do they have women as bodyguards?" Endymion queried.

The crescent on Serenity's forehead was suddenly caught in a field of worry lines. "Now that you mention it, I never saw any when I was there. Always men… I only met the women at luncheons, or on tours…" She trailed off, frowning at Dawn. "That isn't going to bother you, is it?"

"Bother me? I'm already scantily clad in a somewhat hostile society that now has never seen a woman in an official role as a bodyguard. What's there to be bothered about?"

Serenity massaged her temples. "Nothing… nothing at all." Her eyes closed, she searched for a way to resolve this situation.

"You know, this might be exactly what you need, dear." Endymion leaned back in his seat. "Why have her follow Pavori customs? She's a Senshi Guardian, not a hired thug."

One eye opened. "Go on."

"The Pavori claim to be all about tradition and bloodlines and hierarchy, right?" Serenity nodded at her husband slowly. "Well," he said, gesturing towards Dawn, "there is a tradition and evidence of bloodline that surpasses anything they could even hope to imitate."

"Who, me?" Dawn's voice squeaked. "How old are we talking about?"

"Well, the legacy of the Guardians pre-dates the pinnacle of the Silver Millennium," he answered. "You're a reminder of one of the oldest traditions of the Moon Kingdom."

"Oh."

"So you're just trotting her out for show? Like some fancy pet dog?" Rini leapt up indignantly. "That's not right!"

Endymion and Serenity exchanged looks of utter amusement. "Why do you think we brought you along on this trip?" her mother finally asked.

"You said it was a family thing, to present a non-threatening image to the… oh. Oh," she mumbled. "I see. This is one of those image things again."

"It's perpetually about image, dear," her father answered gently. "The Arronné family has tried to bully your mother around, which is why I'm here. You're along to complete the family picture so they don't see your mother as needing me along to back up her words."

"Oh."

"And Dawn is here for two reasons," Serenity explained. "One, to protect you, as is her duty as a Guardian. Two, to prove to the Arronnés that we are their equals, and that we are not to be trifled with."

The auburn-tressed Senshi squirmed uncomfortably. Hardly used to this kind of attention, she wished she could hide in the corner and simply wait for the trip to end. "I'm your big threat?"

Serenity bestowed a motherly smile on the young woman, crossing the shuttle compartment and putting an arm around her shoulders. "You're our big surprise, and I'm looking to you to keep these arrogant Pavori on their toes," she answered with a wink. "Don't think for a second they can order you around, and don't let them."

"If you say so, your Majesty." Dawn replied with a weak grin.

"Good girl. I think they're about ready," she said, peering out the window. "Has everyone arrived?"

"Yes, ma'am." The shuttle captain placed a hand on the console to open the door. "Arrturo and his daughter are at the end of the platform with her personal guard. His sons are in the south west corner of the station with their own guards, as well as Arrturo's brother."

"Anyone else?"

"Lieutenant Commander Rainault has been here for the past six hours. I believe she'll be meeting you this evening."

"Perfect. London, what would we do without you?" Endymion asked.

"Fly yourself, probably," he shrugged. "I'm only in this for the benefits." He ignored Rini's scowl and punched in the keycode. With a slight rush of air, the shuttle doors opened. Serenity exited first, followed by Endymion. Rini poked Dawn gently in the side.

"Go on. You've got to go before me."

Brown eyes wide as saucers, Sailor Eos took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. _You've got royal permission to be a badass_, the little voice in her head sang. _You'll never have another chance like it, not as long as you live. Think this will happen when you get back to school? Hell, no. You're always claiming to be able to handle anything, no problem. What about this? Can you handle it, because you'd better. You're the ace in the hole, that secret play no one knows about. They're relying on you, so get your ass out there and play the part. Are you going to let those snotty Arronnés see you all terrified, or are you gonna flaunt what you've got and break some hearts in the process?_

The collective gasp and immediate murmuring in the docking station met Dawn's ears first, before she pulled her eyes away from the back of Endymion's head. In front of her, a sea of men dressed in what she might have considered formal business attire regarded her with varying degrees of suspicion and lascivious interest. Her own mother's voice echoed in her mind, and Dawn lifted her chin, pulled her shoulders back, and tucked her stomach in. Standing at strict attention and forcing a lack of emotion on her face, she stepped aside to let Rini walk ahead of her and then followed with a fluid yet regimented step.

"Lord Arronné," Serenity began with a smile upon reaching the end of the platform. "It's delightful to see you again."

"Likewise, your Majesty," he replied, pressing his hand to hers. "You've brought company, I see."

She stepped aside as Endymion bowed. "A pleasure to finally meet you, sir. And you, as well," he continued, taking Syrrene's offered hand. "May I introduce our daughter, Princess Serenity." Rini glided up and curtsied delicately, the demure smile on her lips hardly matching the hardness in her eyes as she looked upon Syrrene. "And this would be the Senshi Guardian, Sailor Eos."

"Guardian?" Arrturo's voice bore a carefully trained note of interest. "Is she an Imperial guard of some kind?"

A beat of silence passed before Dawn realized that Serenity and Endymion wanted her to answer the question. _Here goes nothing_… "Not exactly, Lord Arronné," she replied smoothly after bowing once. "I am a Senshi, and the personal Guardian of her Highness."

Arrturo nodded once, gripping his cane. "Well then," he managed, "I suppose that puts you on par with Halle, my daughter's personal guard." In response, Halle lifted his eyebrows and gave the slightest of nods. "Serenity, we've planned a dinner reception in your honour this evening, but I believe there's time to give your family a tour of the grounds."

"How lovely," she chimed. "You'll love the rose gardens, dear," she said to Endymion, laying a hand on his arm. "Absolutely exquisite…"

"You're not very old," Syrrene sniffed once her father had escorted Serenity and Endymion out of the docking station. "How long have you been doing this?"

"All my life, Lady Arronné," Dawn answered, suppressing the overwhelming urge to reply with a more sarcastic remark. Besides, the response was, for all practical purposes, completely true.

"_All_ your life?" She looked to Rini. "Is that possible?"

Rini gave Syrrene a cool smile. "Senshi Guardians are trained in their individual disciplines from the time they're old enough to walk. Eos has known me from birth, having been trained by our Planetary Senshi."

"And yet she and you seem to be the same age," the Pavori teenager noted, now circling Dawn as if to appraise her. "Interesting. So this is a hereditary position, with her family's services tied to Moon Kingdom royalty. That must cost a fortune," she mused aloud.

Well, this was simply getting out of hand. Dawn opened her mouth to speak, but Rini beat her to the reply. "Ah, Syrrene," she began with a coy smile. "A nuance of Lunar society and her beloved Senshi… serving one's kingdom as a Senshi is an honour rather than a duty. It's only fitting that we provide them with a residence and compensate for their living expenses."

"And while I could live anywhere in New Crystal Tokyo, a modest suite in the Imperial Palace is more than sufficient," Dawn finished, grateful for Rini's explanation.

"I see." Pale blue-green eyes regarded Dawn contemptuously for a moment before fixing on Rini. "You'll find a far more professional relationship among your Guardian's Pavori counterparts."

Dawn bit her tongue, aching to say more but deciding that she could find a better battle to attempt at a later date. Besides, Rini had managed Syrrene spectacularly up to this point. "Professional because they are hired and paid for their services?" She met the cold expression with a frosty one of her own.

"Professional in the respect that they do nothing to embarrass or endanger those they are entrusted to accompany and protect," answered Syrrene evenly.

"And what has she done to suggest that?" Rini silently prayed that Dawn would swallow her pride for a few minutes more while she dealt with Syrrene. At the moment, she had both hands behind her back and was slowly and deliberately clenching one fist. Her eyes had also gone from their usual warm chocolate colour to a shallow dark hazel, yet the rest of her face remained unchanged. Rini knew that it was only a matter of time before something sent her over the edge… she just hoped that it didn't happen until after they were out of Syrrene's company.

A sickly sweet smile lifted the corners of Syrrene's mouth as she motioned to Halle, who had remained behind her, silent and unmoving. "Halle would hardly find it proper to accompany me in such a flamboyant manner," she began, looking pointedly at the Senshi fuku Dawn wore. "In addition, he understands that my conversations do not expressly involve him, even when he may be the subject of discussion." Smugly, she brushed back strands of white-blonde hair as she regarded the pair. "Perhaps you should have familiarized yourself with Pavori customs before leaving your little crystal tower, Princess," she finished. "You might want to brush up on a few of them before dinner tonight."

"Perhaps I will," Rini replied evenly. "It could be a fascinating cultural study."

Syrrene nodded once, the satisfied smirk on her face enough to curl Dawn's fist into a tight ball such that her nails began to leave marks on the leather covering her palms. "Until this evening, then." She turned and left the main docking area, Halle following closely behind her. Once she was out of earshot, Dawn managed a throaty growl before turning to face Rini.

"I know, I know," Rini muttered, her left hand going to her forehead and massaging the space between her eyebrows. "You don't have to say anything, trust me."

"Yeah, if I'd said anything more, she might have been terribly offended, and we wouldn't want that to happen." Her voice oozing with sarcasm, she glanced down at her clothing. "If you'd like, I could work on making it all leather, with a laced up bodice and spiked thigh-high boots. You know, the whole Sailor Dominatrix look…"

Rini gasped. "You wouldn't…"

"If your mother let me, I'd do it in a heartbeat, and find a whip to keep handy. Maybe some purple lipstick, just to keep the colour scheme consistent." She held a pensive pose for a few seconds, then relaxed and laughed while the colour began to drain out of Rini's face. "Oh stop that. I won't do that… even though I'd love to see the look on her face if I henshined into that in front of her."

"Same here," Rini mused quietly, watching as one of the men in the corner of the station made his way over to them. Wearing a grey suit similar to Arrturo's and his hair slicked back into a short ponytail, Osvi bowed to Rini and took her hand.

"Ah, Princess Serenity," he greeted in an oily tone. "Osvi Arronné at your service. While my brother shows your parents the grounds of the estate, perhaps I can show you to the residence we've prepared for your stay."

Dawn's eyes narrowed at the gesture, immediately suspicious of the newcomer. Rini didn't appear too comfortable, either. "That would be very kind of you," she replied, her voice hesitant. "I'll make sure our shuttle captain follows with our belongings…"

"Oh, no need for that," he swiftly interrupted. "My nephews would be more than happy to assist you."

"That's very kind of them," she stammered, unable to refuse the gesture in time to prevent the two men and their personal guards from relieving London of most of the luggage. "I certainly hope it's not too far from here, my mother's not the lightest of travellers, clothing-wise."

Osvi laughed, a snide chuckle that cemented Dawn's opinion of the man. Tucking Rini's hand on his arm, he began to escort her towards a white transport. "On the estate grounds, actually. A lovely little cottage, recently renovated to accommodate such royal needs as your own."

Dawn swiftly moved to Rini's other side, falling into step with them. Behind them, the quartet of impromptu baggage handlers followed, whispers muffled by the heavy thud of boots. Dawn turned her head once out of curiosity, and was met with four very rude sneers, identical in contempt. She forced a wide smile on her face and winked at one of them before facing forward again.

At that point, Osvi seemed to remember that there was someone on Rini's other side. "And this would be your personal assistant, I assume?"

"Oh, where are my manners?" Rini stopped, extracting her arm from his grasp. "May I introduce Sailor Eos, a Senshi in service of the Moon Kingdom and my personal guardian."

"Guardian?"

"I believe she is the equivalent of one of your nephews' personal bodyguards," the Princess replied sweetly.

The older man stifled what might have been a snicker. "Indeed," he said slowly, tone and expression showing his lack of belief. "And this is the standard dress for one of your Guardians?"

"It was either this or the full leather catsuit, sir," Dawn quipped merrily as Rini's eyes widened in shock. "Since her Highness prefers the Senshi fuku, I left the other uniform in New Crystal Tokyo." She gave Osvi the same dazzling smile and wink that she had bestowed upon the other four, but he seemed more amused by her actions than anything.

"What a delightful girl," he laughed. "I can see why you keep her with you, your Highness. Quite a sense of humour."

"Quite," she echoed, unsure of whether to chew Dawn out or thank her for the excuse to get away from Osvi.

"Well, shall we?" He opened the door to the transport for Rini, who ducked inside. Before Dawn could follow, Osvi blocked her path. She regarded him coolly, her boots giving her the inch and a half she needed to look him in the eye.

"You'll do best to remember that you're no longer in the Moon Kingdom, Miss," he warned in a low tone. "Such actions and words could place you on the wrong side of my brother's otherwise good nature."

Dawn's eyes registered a bit of surprise and annoyance, but she nonetheless found the dazzling smile she'd used previously. "Thank you for the advice," she answered simply. With that, she bowed and entered the transport, sitting such that she created a barrier between Rini and anyone else who might join them.

"What did he say?" Rini asked, her lips barely moving over the whisper.

"Let's just say that the Pavori already aren't too fond of me," she murmured.

"How's that?"

"They're trying to tell me to behave." Dawn's eyes glittered with mischief. "Should I?"

"No."

"Good. I didn't plan to."

* * *

Breandon swirled the wine in his glass. Expensive wine, dazzling guests, polite hosts, the enticement of royalty ... he'd seen it all before, and it was boring. Even his LISA cousin, lounging against a pillar in formal uniform, wasn't really out of place nor unique. He fended off another attempt by the little Arronné daughter to capture his arm – and not so incidentally his attention – and let his gaze roam.

It stopped more or less abruptly by one of the huge windows, captured by a fiery sunset vision that contrasted sharply with the stark white or pale tones of over half the guests.

For once, Serenity and Rini had been right. This was fun, in a strange sort of way. Granted, she had gone completely against Pavori custom and not worn the tradition white of a bodyguard. At the same time, she relished the stares she was getting... friendly or not, it meant attention, or fear, or curiosity. Dawn knew better than to think it was out of respect. Giving a wink to one of the white-clad men standing behind the Arronné family, she glided past the table and took a spot next to one of the floor-to-ceiling windows. Sunset spilled onto her hair, creating a dazzling coppery effect that, when combined with the burgundy wine of her dress, made for an absolutely stunning image.

Catching her reflection in the glass, Dawn did her best to keep the smug grin confined to the crinkle of her dancing brown eyes. Perfect, just perfect... better than that black atrocity she'd had to wear before. Another second of indulgence, and she returned her attention to the rest of the party. Amidst a sea of white on the far side of the room sat an all-too-familiar figure in a striking shade of deep purple. A smile brought the corner of her mouth up, and she made her way gracefully to the head of the table. Spreading the skirt of her gown and giving a curtsy, she nodded respectfully to Syrrene.

"My apologies for disturbing you, but you look absolutely stunning this evening. I've never seen a dress quite like that."

Syrrene sniffed, regarding Dawn as one might a dirty and out of place child. "It's a Rainault original." She gestured to Breandon. "He designed it, by request of my father."

A crimping at the corners of Breandon's mouth showed what he thought of the whole business, but he said nothing.

"Well, it certainly is perfect for you," Dawn replied warmly. _All right, you catty wench, two can play this game._ "Always a pleasure to see you, my dear Rainault," Dawn finished with a decidedly dazzling smile. "We just seem to meet in the most unlikely of places."

"You consider this unlikely? Surely, lovely maiden, this is the perfect setting for one of your fiery beauty." He gestured to Syrrene, wearing pastel, and then back to Dawn in her burgundy. Then he smirked.

Serenity's reminder about this being the perfect setting to play games resounded in Dawn's head. "It's not my place to show off," she answered with a surprised laugh. "I'm merely here as a guest, whereas Lady Arronné would be considered the true belle of the ball." Clasping her hands in front of her, she bowed respectfully to Syrrene. "My apologies for disturbing you. Thank you again for such a wonderful dinner." Syrrene said nothing, reciprocating with an icy nod of her head. With that formality finished, Dawn gracefully returned to her place in the sunset, head held high.

Breandon followed her with his gaze, then looked at Syrrene. "Was that, strictly speaking, necessary? She does belong to the Princess."

"What do you mean by necessary?" She arranged a loose curl over her shoulder, hoping to conceal the annoyance brought on by that young woman's interruption.

Mildly, he replied, "Dawn is somewhat excitable. One would think that it would be unwise to regard such a person with that style of glance. But never mind. I believe I will leave you to your games, my dear." He bestowed a falsely saccharine smile on Syrrene, rose, and began to meander over toward his cousin.

Winter Rainault, spotting her distinctively attired cousin, rolled her eyes and tugged on the blouse of her uniform tunic. As he neared, she muttered, "Browsing for bedmates again, cousin?"

"Hardly. In this crowd, they offer themselves." He gestured back toward Syrrene. "How does our little Guardian?"

"How the hell should I know? I'm not here to keep an eye on _her_."

"Mind your tongue, cousin," he soothed.

"Go ask yourself."

"I might, at that. I just might." He provided her with a more honest smile than the one shown to Syrrene, and wandered off again.

A nudge at Dawn's arm made her tense, and then relax at the sight of the Lunar shuttle's captain and LISA plain-clothes agent. One eyebrow delicately arched, she smiled at the slightly older man. "Well, Captain London. To what do I owe this surprise?"

Brad London rolled his eyes at the formality as he gave a perfunctory bow. "Stop. Just stop the games, and listen. That one," he continued, eyes darting in Syrrene's direction, "is not one to play with. The rest of 'em, be my guest."

"Who, Lady Arronné?" _Gotta keep it up for the eavesdroppers_, she thought.

"No, Rainault. I'm telling you, he's more trouble than he's worth," he hissed. "He'll just – "

"Just what?" Dawn asked suspiciously. "If you think that's an attempt to throw myself at him, you've got another thing coming." All traces of formality gone, she fought the urge to poke London in the chest. "I've got a score to settle with that pompous jerk, and I plan to fight fire with fire."

London suppressed what sounded like a very nasty chuckle. "Then you're ahead of the game. I guess they were right about you."

"About what?"

"You can take care of yourself."

"Damn right I can." She flashed an alluring smile that almost brought Brad to his knees and winked. "I think I'll start taking care of things right now."

Breandon collected another glass of wine from a pretty blonde server, winking at her to make her blush and giggle. Taking his wine, he wandered a little further, out on to a balcony that was thankfully deserted. Folding his arms on the rail, he watched the blazing sunset for a while, trying not to think. Trying not to realise that Winter's remarks had not only been uncharacteristically catty, but wholly untrue as applied to him.

Trying not to recognise that the blame for that could be laid at the feet of a redhead in a devastating burgundy gown.

"Diamonds. They actually made you sew diamonds into the bodice of that gown?" Dawn stood behind him, fingernails tapping slowly against the champagne flute she'd acquired. "I assumed you wouldn't stoop to something like cubic zirconium."

He turned around so fast his wineglass flew off the railing, shattering some forty feet below. Colour ran high into his face.

Smoothly, Dawn offered him her untouched flute. "Didn't mean to startle you," she lied sweetly. "But they were diamonds, weren't they?"

Breandon ignored the champagne. "Oh, my, yes. Nothing less for the youngest daughter of the mighty Arronnés," he managed to get out, recovering some semblance of his normal flair.

She glanced back at his former companion, who was surrounded by her brothers and their attachés. "Pardon the observation, but it's not your best work."

"Nothing more for the youngest brat of the overbearing Arronnés," he returned. Usually, he would moderate such remarks, but the evening had been sufficiently stressful that he just didn't give a damn any more who heard him.

She feigned a sip of champagne. "I see... well, I took your advice," she said sweetly, stepping back into the sunlight. "Was this a more suitable choice?"

He looked her up and down, much more obviously and pointedly this time. "Quite." He stepped forward to circle around her, pausing again when he returned to face her. Before she could really react, he reached forward and adjusted the position of a curl.

Dawn blinked, feeling a blush creep into her cheeks. _Stop that... you're supposed to be exhibiting some control here..._ "Something wrong with the hair? I did try to keep away from that ridiculous odango tradition."

He took his hand away slowly. "It's fine. It's lovely. You're lovely."

Dawn lowered her eyes as the blush took over her complexion. Her voice trembled slightly as her throat tightened involuntarily. "Oh. Um, thank you. Thanks very much," the reply came in an almost demure whisper.

"You're welcome."

They stood there just sort of staring at each other, until Breandon shook himself and turned back to the sunset, perceptibly lower. "How do you like your first official duty off-planet?"

She swallowed, fingers absently rubbing the fabric of her skirt. "It's not at all what I expected," she finally managed. "It's far more low key than..." She stopped herself from saying, 'last time.' "What I'd been led to believe."

"I suppose this _would_ be considered low-key ... have you offended all their bodyguards yet?"

"What, by wearing red, blowing kissies before the dinner started, and flaunting cleavage with this dress? Nah, they hardly know I exist," she teased.

He turned to look over his shoulder. "You were what? Kisses?" He squished the anger rising absurdly inside.

"It's better than gesturing rudely and asking for a brawl in the middle of dinner." She gave a shrug. "Seriously, I don't think they're all that fond of me. Must be the female factor."

He smiled. "The Pavori take their bodyguards very seriously. You are breaking all of their traditions, being both lovely and visible, and you are completely out of their parlance."

"Explain to me how dressing in white makes one invis ..." She trailed off as two of the Arronné brothers approached her, their own guards in tow. Dawn whirled and beamed up at them, a low curtsy following. "Good evening. This is a lovely surprise."

One of the Arronné men scowled at her. "You claim to be the bodyguard for the Princess of the Moon Kingdom?"

She stiffened, "Yes, I am the personal Guardian of Princess Serenity," she answered, emphasizing the _am_. "Is there a problem?"

Breandon turned, resting his elbows on the railing, to watch the fun over her shoulder.

"No problem," the other replied. "We just have trouble believing that someone of your stature could be of the same calibre as one of our Pavori guards."

The eyebrow arched skyward of its own accord, Dawn unable to control her facial display of sarcasm. "Really. I'm sorry to hear that you're unacquainted with the Sailor Guardian line. The history itself is terribly fascinating."

The first man took a menacing step towards her, looking down at her. "I find that hard to believe. Senshi are merely scantily clad sorceresses, are they not?"

"Clearly the history and culture of neighbouring areas are neglected here on Pavori. Perhaps you would like to rephrase that comment while you still have your health?" Breandon drawled, not moving from his lazy posture. "I'd hate to run you through for such easily-remedied ignorance."

"You WHAT?" He brushed against Dawn in a decidedly ungentle manner on his way to where Breandon stood. "Are you threatening me?"

_Yeah, are you?_ Dawn thought to herself. _I can take care of me just fine, wouldn't be here if I couldn't..._

Breandon looked him up and down. "Now that would be foolish, wouldn't it. On the other hand, you did insult my entire culture, so either you are hopelessly ignorant or deliberately rude, one of which may be remedied and the other may not. You choose." He allowed a small smile to curl across his lips, grateful that Pavori society allowed him a rapier with formal dress.

He snorted, glancing back at one of the two mobile walls that had accompanied them. "It sounded like a threat, didn't it?" The duo nodded, showing little movement or emotion otherwise.

"If not a threat, then definitely an insult," the other replied, hand resting against the hilt of his own weapon.

"Now, now... such tempers!" Dawn delicately stepped between them, one hand on her collarbone in mock distress while the other held her glass. "Perhaps we could simply sit down and..."

"Perhaps you should remember where you are and to whom you're speaking," one of the guards growled. "You have absolutely no place in this conversation... Lady," he finished grudgingly.

Breandon's hand came down with a smack against the railing. "As I recall, the initial remarks were addressed to the lady. Though, unless my memory is remiss, I do not believe there was any courtesy in the address." He stood up straight, painfully aware of the height differences. "Now, since you seem so determined to take insult, perhaps you should like I should give you a one to be insulted by, thou half-grown stripling? The lady is thy guest, and not for thy low sport. An thou must needs play, do thee play with me. Leave the lady out of it." The Arronné opened his mouth to reply, and Breandon spoke again. "_And_ the guards. I am _thy_ opponent, thou overblown frog's son." With a slick metallic sound, he unsheathed his rapier in open challenge.

Dawn's eyes nearly fell out of their sockets. It was one thing for someone to defend you verbally; it was another issue entirely when it involved weapons and possibly blood. Quite honestly, she didn't see the need for that... and while the giggly romantic hidden far beneath felt a deep satisfaction in the defence of her girlish honour, the liberated twenty-something believed that she had to at least try to stick up for herself in her own right. Luckily, she could wax formality too.

"That might be true," she replied, eyes now locked with one of the guards in open defiance. "And yet, they found it fitting to challenge my skill, my calling, and my very heritage? Could it be perchance they believed they were not fit to defend themselves against a man, and might thereby be successful against one assumably weaker and more delicate?" Teeth bared, she spoke through them, dropping formality. "Guess what? Not weaker, hardly delicate, and perfectly fit to take any of you on hand to hand."

One of the guards, a fair-skinned blonde with sea-green eyes, leaned over her. "Is that so?" A heavy hand gripped her shoulder, her skin going white with pressure.

Breandon pricked the guard's hand with the rapier. "The lady is under my protection – and her own. Hands OFF."

The guard drew his hand back slowly, blood having trickled over his thumb. "Unwise, Rainault," the first of the brothers replied. "She was perfectly willing to defend herself."

"Whereas you require someone to fight for you," Dawn snapped. "Would you really want to test the abilities of a Senshi? Causing such a mess in the middle of your father's lovely dinner party wouldn't be considered good manners."

"Senshi," he scoffed. "Hardly. If you desire, Rainault, we can see to this in the courtyard immediately."

Breandon bared his teeth. "I require an oath from you first, dog. Swear that you'll keep your bodyguards out of it, and I'll see that you survive my lessoning." He set the tip of the rapier on the flagstones and rested both hands on the pommel.

"Done."

The group processed silently back inside, down the stairs, and into an open courtyard immediately below the balcony.

"Could you please explain what you're doing?" Dawn hissed as she followed Breandon into the grassy area.

"Redressing a major insult to my people," he returned coldly. "This isn't for you." Clearly, he was spoiling for a fight.

Dawn appeared visibly hurt by the remark. "And why am I not involved, as I was being insulted and far more insulting to them than you were?"

"That's NOT it. Rather, I'm not fighting your behalf, as it's quite clear that you can fight your own battles." He gestured with the rapier at the brothers. "I'll leave you one. Which would you rather have?"

She eyed them coolly. "The one who has a Kappa class phaser tucked behind his left boot. I don't think your rapier is going to fare too well against that." She lifted her skirts and sat neatly on a nearby bench. "And make yours get rid of his. They're both armed."

He grinned at her, a dangerous light coming into green eyes. "I've been doing this for years, darling." Turning back to the brothers, he lifted the rapier and pointed at the brother Dawn hadn't claimed. "I'm sure even you have some sense of honour, so these are the rules. You," still pointing," will fight me. Also with a rapier. Get rid of your other weapons. Now." He brushed off the guards and other brother. "You will stand aside until either he or I surrenders. I'll let the lady choose how to deal with you then."

"Oh, go ahead and shoot," she replied offhandedly, absorbed in a chipped nail. "I'm impatient."

"En garde."

There wasn't much to see, of the fight, only Breandon's long flying ponytail and the sharp glitters thrown off by the rapiers. Metal clashed once, twice, thrice, then the Arronné's sword made a high, sharp curve in the air. He clutched a hand close to his chest. "Do you surrender?" Breandon breathed into his face, holding the rapier close to the other's throat. Fury flashed in the Arronné's eyes, but he grudgingly surrendered.

"Take that as a lesson to be more circumspect in your words to a Lunar. Especially of Senshi line." Breandon stood back and sheathed his sword contemptuously.

Dawn stood, applauding. "Lovely," she chimed. "Now, my turn. You," she said, gesturing to her opponent. "You get your phaser. I prefer a slightly updated version of the classic duel." Armed with the weapon, he towered over her menacingly, an action that Dawn ignored. "Now, five paces, turn, and draw. To stun, I would think?" She winked at the second Arronné, then turned her back. "And... begin."

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

"Four."

As Dawn's lips formed the last word, a burst of white-hot plasma scorched the skin between her shoulder blades. Another caught her in the solar plexus, and a third seared the right side of her ribcage. Dawn's body spasmed violently, a short series of jerky movements accompanied by the accumulation of a lavender mist about her body. She regained motor control seconds later, a very unladylike sneer on her face.

"THAT was most unbecoming a gentleman," she growled, as light enveloped her figure, replacing the ruined dress with her fuku. "And it wasn't too bright, either. EOS DAYBREAK REFLECTION!"

A carefully aimed trio of rose and orchid pulses whizzed past each of her assailants, singeing clothing and massacring some very lovely azaleas. "Surrender?"

He surrendered.

Breandon applauded Dawn's battle, as well, then offered her his arm to progress back upstairs.

"Why, how decidedly chivalrous," she drawled, resting her fingertips on his arm. "Thank you."

"As I told you when we first met, I am at your service any time, my lady." His skin warmed at the touch of her. Brave, brilliant, powerful, unafraid and unashamed – he cut off that line of thought immediately. He'd been warned.

And from the look on Rini's face at the top of the stairs, that would happen again relatively soon. Flanked by Winter and Capt. London, Rini positively shook in fury.

"What... by the Crystal, what did... how could... YOU!" She turned on Breandon, rage building. "What possessed you to put on that display in plain view of the entire group? And why were YOU there?" She glared at Dawn, still in her fuku. "Why THIS?"

"I don't think my dress would be all that appropriate now," she answered honestly. "It's torn in several immodest places due to three phaser blasts."

"Phasers? Someone fired on you?" London scowled while Winter's carefully trained eyes began an almost unconscious sweep of the immediate area.

"Just _her_. I had more sense than to let them shoot at me." Breandon cast a reproachful look at Dawn.

"Sense? You just had a duel in the courtyard with the sons of the most powerful man in Pavori society," Rini hissed. "If that's not foolish, then I don't know what is. I thought you knew better than that, what with your cousin being here."

He folded his arms and assumed a languid pose. "You had rather I allowed them to make erroneous and insulting statements about an aeons-old tradition that, unless I am much mistaken, you are also part of? Listen, Your Highness," and abruptly his body was tense with fury, "I understand that you have to keep up face – which means ignoring that sort of thing with a smile. But I'm not here as part of your little game, and my life goes by my rules. You might deign to notice that I _won_ my duel, upholding both your honour and mine without you having to get your delicate hands dirty. So mind your own business, and I'll mind mine." He pushed himself off the pillar and turned to stalk away, then turned back. "And don't you ever threaten me with my cousin again."

Rini stood, open-mouthed, unable to come up with a response. Dawn glanced between them, shivering in her fuku. "For all practical purposes, it wasn't his fault. They began by threatening me, and he managed to keep the altercation to something more civil than I would have done."

Struck by a sudden impulse – prompted in no little part by Dawn's shiver – Breandon silently held out his hand toward her, meaning to lead her off somewhere away from undeserved blame.

She smiled at him, catching sight of Syrrene herself in a corner with her brothers and their respective attachés. "Well, it's been a blast, no pun intended, but I think it might be time for all of us to leave. Could you please make sure that she stays with her parents? I doubt I'm very welcome here at the moment." London nodded gruffly, while Winter gave a slight inclination of her head. "Thanks, I owe you guys one."

Rini threw her hands up in the air. "Fine, go on. I'll let Mom know what happened, although I don't know what she'll say. The way she was talking earlier, you'd have thought she wanted you to cause trouble."

"I didn't _cause_ trouble," Dawn objected, resting her icy hand in Breandon's outstretched palm. "I reacted to the situation... and I _did_ try to diffuse it first."

Breandon closed his hand over hers and began to pull, forbearing to contribute anything more to the argument. But Winter had to have the last word. She levelled narrow, intensely green eyes at Breandon. "Someday, someone is going to beat you ... and I hope to be there to see it." Breandon flinched, but still didn't speak.

Rather than hang around, Dawn responded to the gentle tug on her hand, welcoming the warmth. "C'mon, we'd better get out. I don't think we've made any friends this evening," she whispered softly, worry in her voice.

"You intended to?" he returned, with a startled laugh. "Let me take you somewhere where you can get something warmer to wear. Damn, I should have worn a jacket," he muttered. Dawn didn't think she was supposed to hear that last part. She followed him out of the ballroom, slightly awed as he negotiated the maze of the house with no difficulty and brought them out to the front.

Looking both ways, he tucked her hand under his arm and began to lead the way up the street.


	5. Aftermath

Chapter Four – Aftermath 

"Where are we going?" Her sense of direction only mediocre, she knew enough to realize that the place the Royal Family was staying was on the other side of the Arronné estate.

"A shop I know of," he replied, clasping her hand tightly but refusing to look at her. "Here. You wait here." Without giving any time for a reply, he vanished silently inside.

"A shop? Breandon, it's not – " Too late. Dawn glanced about nervously, folding her arms across her bared torso. Suddenly, standing out in the damp evening air, she felt most un-Senshi like.

It felt like forever, but it could only have been a few minutes when Breandon returned, bearing a white bundle that turned out to be a dress. A dress that reminded Dawn oddly of the few minutes of _Gone with the Wind_ she'd seen, sometime ages ago. He handed it to her solemnly, then produced a wide-brimmed hat from behind his back. "I couldn't resist this."

She eyed the dress, the hat, and then Breandon. "You bought me a dress?"

Patiently, he explained, "You're cold in your fuku, and you said the other dress had phaser burns in revealing places. Just put it on and stop arguing."

"And where am I supposed to change into this? I can't exactly henshin into real clothes that I'm holding," she pointed out.

"Uhhh ... " He made an exasperated face, grabbed her arm, and hauled her down the street a bit farther to a convenient bathhouse.

"Here?" She frowned, but obligingly slipped inside. She found an empty corner and, in what she hoped was a subtle fashion, returned to the burgundy dress. Peeling the burnt fabric off, she exchanged deep red for white, extravagance for elegant simplicity. Stepping out, she checked her reflection in the mirror. Dawn took the pins out of her hair, letting it fall loosely about her shoulders before setting the hat on her head. Unsure, she shyly stepped out and tucked both hands behind her back.

"Does this look all right to you?"

Unbidden, the first unreserved smile she'd ever seen came to his face. "You look good enough to take back to the party." He offered her his arm again. "Where shall I escort you now, fair lady of my heart?"

"Back to the party, I suppose," she replied uncertainly, resting her hand on his arm. "Unless that would be a gross faux pas." She self-consciously ran her fingers through her loose curls, still looking at the dress. "I'm going to owe you dinner at the very least for this... for almost a week."

Breandon placed his free hand over hers, looking up. "You don't owe me a thing." _Except the pleasure of your company in this mood._ "If you don't want to go back there, we don't have to. May I escort you somewhere quieter?"

Dawn's subconscious did her speaking for her as she kept her head down. "I'm not sure if I'm supposed to go back, or not. I'm already in enough trouble, and staying away might be more appropriate, but it could also be interpreted as running away, and I've already managed to mess up enough on this trip, and..." She stopped, suddenly aware she was babbling. "Sorry," she apologized softly. "I just don't know... what do you think I should do?"

He blinked. "You're asking me what the protocol for a Senshi Guardian is."

"Am I?" She sighed, chewing her lip. "If we're going on purely Guardian protocol, then I shouldn't have even left the party. Damn it to hell," she swore.

"It is a little late to remedy that," he reminded her. "I think it would be best if you left them all wondering. After this, the Pavori will know even less about how to deal with you, which may give our Queen some leverage with them – after all, you represent a good portion of the army which we can level against them." He began to walk. "Come, we'll look suspicious if we just stand here."

She obliged, one hand delicately holding her skirt so she wouldn't trip. "True," she agreed. She cast a sideways glance at her escort, whose dramatic costume of royal purple and black bore a stark contrast to her demure figure in white. A thought occurred to her... "How did you know what size to get? For the dress, I mean."

"I flatter myself my judgement of a person's figure is superb."

"Oh." They walked on in silence for a few more minutes, until the nagging voice in her mind sang with a more pressing query. "Another thing... and you don't have to answer it or anything," she said, a faint blush creeping into her cheeks. "What prompted that kiss in Greynn's a couple nights ago?" _So much for subtlety._

Did she imagine it, or was there a check in his step on that question? "I told you. You required taming."

"I thought that was your reason for kicking the pool cue out from under me," she answered, careful to keep her eyes straight ahead.

"It was all of a piece in my diabolical master plan," he essayed, trying to keep a light tone.

"Master plan? For what?"

"Uh ... " For the first time, he seemed at a real loss for words.

She stopped, a frown on her lips as she turned to face him. "Yes?"

"... for capturing y – the Princess' heart, of course!" He said hastily.

Dawn blinked as her stomach suddenly felt slightly queasy. "Oh." She pulled her hand away from his arm and simply stood there, unsure of what to say.

He sighed. "You don't take a joke very well, Dawn."

"Sorry, but you sure didn't seem like you were joking then," she muttered, folding her arms across her chest. Her throat tightened, and Dawn slowly turned away from him, the last bit of control she could muster that evening keeping her from swearing... or running... or bursting into a confused mass of frustration and tears. "And no, I don't take jokes well. Character flaw of a sort."

Breandon grabbed her shoulder. "Well, I'm sorry then. Now, where are you going? You'll get lost if you run off." There was an ache in his throat he could hardly get the words around. If she ran from him now ...

She shook slightly as she felt the pressure of his grip on her shoulder. "I don't know," she whispered.

"Look, let's get off the street if we're going to fight. I'm not actually all that keen on having an audience to witness my spectacular temper. Come on," he coaxed.

_But I don't want to fight... I just want to... I don't know what I want..._ Silently, she turned and followed, brows furrowed in thought.

He led her back to the suite the Arronnés had kindly provided him, thankful that it had a door to the outside and he wouldn't have to take her past any inquiring guests. Even here, his reputation extended, and he oddly didn't want Dawn to be touched by that ... especially not after Pluto's warnings.

"What's this?"

"My humble abode while I am here. Safe and secure from prying eyes and Pavori gossips. Now, you may yell at me all you like." _Gods know I deserve it ..._ He took a seat on the overstuffed sofa, grimaced as he removed his hair from underneath, and settled back, looking suave and demure.

Dawn's face registered confusion combined with a modest amount of surprise. "I didn't want to yell at you," she managed, slipping the hat from atop her head and tapping her fingers against the brim. "I just wanted to know why you did what you did then... and then tonight... and..." She paused, looking up at Breandon. "Please don't look at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like you're waiting for me to say this one specific thing, because I have no idea what to do or say right now," she finished, flinging one arm outwards to emphasize her words. "You're cryptically nasty at the bar, then you're a perfect gentleman for most of this evening, you buy me a dress that I'm pretty sure costs far more than I should be wearing, and now..." Dawn exhaled such that the curls about the side of her face swayed slightly. "Now, I'm very confused, and I don't play games well, and I'd really appreciate things spelled out for once."

"You seemed to put Miss Syrrene in her place quite well," he observed.

Dawn grinned in spite of herself. "That was relatively easy, compared to this."

"I'm flattered." He patted the couch next to him. "If you aren't going to yell at me, come sit down. I don't bite."

She obliged, leaving shoes and hat at the door before sitting on the other side, tucking her feet up under her. "Are you going to explain the past few days, or do you plan to keep me guessing?"

"I could say the same to you, Dawn," he returned. "I don't actually know very much about you at all. However, as you asked first, I shall endeavour to clarify. What was it you wanted to know?"

She could feel the heat rising in her face again, and she cursed her fair skin... and cowardice. "Why a white dress?"

"It was the first thing that came to hand that suited you."

"Oh." Unable to ask the real question on her mind, she turned to a different tactic. "All right, your turn."

"Why are you here?"

"Here, for this trip? To protect Rini, and act as some sort of status symbol for Serenity," she replied with a shrug.

He shook his head. "No, here, this ... place ... this ... this time."

Dawn's eyes went wide as she jumped up from her seat, doubling the distance between her and Breandon. _Oh shit, Pluto is going to KILL me._

"I wish you wouldn't do that," he sighed.

"I could say the same thing," she managed breathlessly.

"You said I could ask!" he snapped. "Now sit down. I don't think anyone else realises, and anyway I was more or less told."

Settling herself back on the couch, she didn't think she could press herself any further into the cushions. "Who, Rini?"

"No. You're avoiding the question."

She clasped her hands in her lap to keep them from shaking. "To take Eos' place. She's in the hospital back in New Crystal Tokyo under observation after an attack on Rini last week that sent her into pre-term labour. I got called in right as I was starting my third year of university."

He nodded. "Ah. Thank you. Your turn."

"Why'dyoukissmethatnight?" It was rushed and spoken to her skirt rather than to him.

"Didn't I already answer this?"

She lifted her head, forcing herself to look him in the eye. "Not such that I'd believe you." He looked back at her, and forgot what he was going to say. "Well?" she said.

"Ah," he stumbled, "... I honestly don't know ... let me do it again and I might be able to tell you ... " His expression was soft, longing.

Curiosity combined with sheer naïveté was probably what caused Dawn to raise herself up on her knees and lean across the couch, her gaze fixed on Breandon's face as she kept her balance with one hand on the opposite armrest. Eyes half-closed, she gently brushed her lips against his in a deceptively innocent manner.

Before he could get his arms up around her, she had pulled back. His expression resembled that of a thirsty man just out of reach of water. "Dawn ... "

"So, why did you?" she queried softly.

The expression turned mischievous. "I need to do more research." A wicked glint in the green eyes just barely presaged his pulling her into his arms and lowering his face over hers. "Stop me if you object," he murmured, before kissing her again, with slightly less ferocity and considerable gentleness.

Dawn's body relaxed considerably as she indulged a second kiss that was considerably more involved than the first. Pulling back, she opened her eyes and smiled shyly. "You didn't answer my question," she pointed out.

"Did I not just say I needed to do more research? Impudent imp."

_Imp?_ "So give me a hypothesis," she replied smoothly.

With a sigh smacking of exasperation, he let go of her and flung himself back against the pillows of the couch. "I don't have one, okay? It seemed the thing to do, so I did it. I am not accustomed to engage in lengthy dissections of my motives."

Dawn tilted her head to the left, regarding him through her eyelashes. "A whim, then?"

"I did not say that!"

"But it's an accurate description." she countered. "You either planned it, or you went on instinct. You deny the former, so I assumed the latter."

He frowned. "That's semantics. It was no whim, I assure you, although I seized the moment."

"I can't disagree with you on that count." She bit her bottom lip, still fixated on him. _So, now what?_

The silence became long. Then it became awkward. Then it became downright oppressive. Breandon cleared his throat, and startled himself. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Sure." She leaned back, then stood, nervous energy manifesting itself in the slow pacing she did in the living area.

Breandon watched her for a moment before moving into the kitchenette. Clinks and slight splashes broke the silence before he emerged bearing a tray with two glasses.

Dawn stood next to the window, fingers twisting her hair as she glanced down at another empty page of his sketchbook. "No inspiration yet, hmm?"

"Inspiration is often forthcoming, but lately ... never mind." He handed her a cool glass and returned to the couch, indulging himself in a rare moment to watch her.

She sniffed the contents delicately, and sipped. Suddenly feeling self-conscious, she turned her head and caught him gazing at her. "Yes?"

Breandon turned a dull red. "Nothing."

Again, she didn't believe him... but rather than point it out verbally, she simply decided to return to what she'd been doing. If he wanted to look, there was no harm in looking. Breandon watched her flip through the sketchbook, but his mind was busy elsewhere.

"Is this a new one?" She stopped on a flowing gown that had swatches of lavender next to it, its model sporting dark auburn hair.

"Which?" He asked idly, then shot up out of the couch's embrace as he realised what one she was looking at. "Ack!" Then he realised how completely he'd given himself away, and stood looking sheepish. "I mean, yes. It's new."

"It's beautiful." She closed the book and set it down on the table. "I take it this happened post-Scotch?"

"Significantly."

Something in the tone of his voice made her nervous. Taking another sip from her glass, she shifted her attention to the window and the night sky.

He sighed and came up behind her. "What are you thinking, Dawn?"

She kept her back to him, talking to the panes of glass. Somehow, it made speaking the truth easier. "I'm thinking that I'm going to be in trouble when I get back, although I'm not sure if I care. I'm thinking that there's more to you than what I've been told in my short time here. And, I'm thinking that kissing you before was done completely on a whim, just to see how you'd react."

He nodded. "And how do you think I reacted?"

"You certainly didn't object to it."

He reached out to touch her, but pulled back. "I am sorry. Pluto warned me, and I guess I should have listened. I just ... "

"Warned you about what?" She turned around quickly at the mention of Pluto. "Was she the one who told you about me?

"She said I was to stay away from you."

"Her too?"

"Her too what?" Breandon was considerably startled.

Dawn took another sip from her glass. "I was pretty much told point-blank this evening that you were trouble, and that I shouldn't play games with you," she replied. "Captain London felt the need to play big brother, I suppose."

Breandon laughed. "He's still resentful that Gwyneth liked me more, that's all."

"Oh." Dawn managed a half-smile. "Then what did Pu... sorry, Sailor Pluto, what did she tell you about me? That I was headstrong, lacked manners, and could swear like a barkeep?"

"She didn't tell me anything. Well, she said you were stubborn and independent, but I could see that for myself."

"You said she warned you," Dawn pointed out. "Warned you about what?"

He leaned his forehead on the windowpane. "Not warned me ABOUT you. She said I wasn't to play with you. She said I was to stay away from you." His voice broke somewhere in the middle of that.

"Play with me?" Even though she repeated the words, Dawn's focus turned to Pluto, and something not unlike resentment began to nibble on her thoughts.

"I have ... something of a reputation, as a lover. I've been told I'm considered quite a conquest, which may explain Lady Syrrene's behaviour. But not everyone looks on this in a favourable light. Thus, not to play with you."

"Oh. I see." Suddenly, Dawn wondered if that kiss she'd had so much fun with earlier had been in her best interest... not to mention being here, in his private quarters while she was supposed to be here accompanying Rini and her parents. "And that's why Pluto told you to stay away from me? Because she didn't want me to be tempted by your wily ways?"

"I suppose so ... " He turned back and flung himself on the couch. "Can we talk about something else?"

"Sure." She took the seat opposite him amidst the cushions. "Your turn for a question, if you're game.

"I ... " Truly told, he'd nearly forgotten about the game of questions they'd been playing. But, if she could ask hard questions, then so could he. "Why don't you like me?"

"I never said that I didn't," she objected. "I didn't have any problem with you the first time we met, once things were cleared up. It was the second night that made me question my judgement."

"Refresh my memory."

She moved her hands as she spoke, gesturing with the glass. "Specifically, you stared at me, then acted like you didn't, then kicked my cue out from under me such that I crashed to the floor, and then you forced yourself on me like it was some kind of punishment."

"Ah ... I was counting the _Euripides_ reception before that. But you are indeed correct ... I have no excuse. You were ... behaving somewhat differently that night, as well."

"Vince let me get into the rum," she admitted sheepishly. "Not the greatest of combinations."

Breandon sighed deeply and closed his eyes. "I suppose we didn't get off to the best start. Although," he opened one eye to look at her, "I do recall mentioning that if you left your charge behind things could get interesting."

"That you did... and they have," she observed.

He closed the eye again. "Does it bother you?"

"No." She moved towards the middle of the couch, dress spilling over the end and hiding her feet. "I'm certainly not bothered by it."

Reaching out a long fingered hand, he took the glass from her and attempted to gather her close to him. "That's good. That's very, very good." He began to trace the shape of her fingers with a gentle fingertip.

Caution following instinct, she leaned back against his chest and watched his methodical study of her hands. Despite the slow gentle movement, she found it difficult to completely relax, with Pluto's warning running through her head.

"You do something that regularly brings your fingers in contact with something rough, don't you?" he commented. "Dawn, may I be completely frank with you?" His fingers were gentle on her hands and arms.

"I'm not as handy with a soldering iron as I could be in lab classes," she ruefully admitted, turning one hand palm up to see the remnants of a few burn marks from last semester. "And yes, I'd rather that you be that way."

"Dawn, you do things to me," he said, very quietly, folding her hands in his own. "It's possible you will never believe me, and I should blame only myself if you don't, but I never expected to meet someone like you." There was silence for a moment. "I ... the reason I was so very rude to you in Greynn's is because I had ... called someone else by your name, in a rather awkward situation. You can imagine, I think, that I was rather confused by this ... "

_And so am I,_ she thought frantically. "I suppose so. Go on."

She could feel his chest rise as he took a deep breath. "I'm afraid I took it out on you. You ... trouble me, trouble my thoughts. Perhaps this is normal, for one in my situation ... but you are in my dreams." He swallowed. "I assure you, my dear, that they are not such dreams as I would be shamed to detail in company, either."

No verbal response would have been appropriate at that point, so she simply nodded, the words overwhelming her as he continued to speak.

"I am ... unaccustomed to thinking about what I do; I merely do it. But around you, although I find no need to temper my tongue, I am ... holding back. I want to please you. Yet somehow I seem always to be doing what would annoy you."

"You're not annoying me," she replied automatically. "And as for holding back..." Dawn sat up and twisted about, her face inches from his. "Why?"

"Why would I hold back?"

She nodded.

"As I said, I was warned. Also," he said, holding her gaze, "there is something about you that is intriguing, and I find myself extremely curious. I want to ... " He struggled for words. "I want – this is precisely symptomatic of the problem! Dammit, Dawn, your presence ties my tongue up!"

She thought about saying something about her leaving so that he could think, but this was neither the time nor place for playful sarcasm. Everything felt so serious, and she couldn't match Breandon's eloquence, despite his claim that he lacked the proper words. Bringing a hand up, she tentatively brushed the side of his face with her fingertips.

The breath slid out of him in a long sigh that ruffled the curls around her face. He leaned his head slightly to the side, pressing into her fingers.

Her body began to tremble as she brought the other hand up to smooth the hair that had strayed from the ponytail. There was a childlike innocence to her movements, as she stroked the side of his face with the back of her hand.

In a rush, his hands came up to clasp around her wrists. "Why are you shaking?"

"Because I'm not sure if this is the right thing to do," she whispered.

"Don't do what bothers you." He smiled weakly. "I've been turned down before."

"I meant... am I doing the right thing..." The words tumbled out in the same uncertain whisper.

"Anything you want to do is right," he soothed. His hands loosened on her wrists, and began to slip down her arms with a light touch. "Trust that I will tell you if you do something I dislike, and I shall trust the same. Nothing happens without trust."

She nodded once, returning a hand to gently stroke his cheek. A dreamy smile crept over her lips, confidence slowly building as she relaxed into him.

Breandon fitted a hand behind her neck and pulled her closer, closer, until their noses touched. For a long moment green eyes met brown, until Dawn thought her heart would hammer itself out of her chest. He kissed her precisely at the same moment as he rested a warm palm against her bare shoulder.

Gooseflesh broke out over her skin at the dual sensation, and she stiffened slightly in surprise. But the warmth... the security, the warmth, the divine electricity that made every inch of her tingle, all combined to bring forth a soft sigh of pleasure and sheer contentment.

Breandon chuckled low in his throat. Breaking the kiss, he said, "I can't believe no one has ever told you before how beautiful you are."

Dawn had no verbal response to that, her mind still reeling from the kiss. Instead, she shook her head slightly and peeked at him through her eyelashes.

"Now, don't do that," he scolded, "I might just toss away all my scruples and ravish you."

Dawn's eyes widened and she giggled softly in reply. "That's a different kind of threat, I gather?"

"Oh, I still think you need taming," he murmured wickedly, "and I'm just the one to do it. Just not tonight." He slipped a hand down her back, caressing lightly.

_There's more?_ Willing the little voice in her head to be quiet for a while longer, she decided to simply rely on instinct. At the moment, instinct meant that a second kiss was in order, so she leaned in and gently nibbled on his lower lip.

He wrapped the arm not occupied with her shoulder around her waist and pulled her more firmly into his lap, then began a whisper-light exploration of her face, arms, shoulders, and back, first with fingertips, then starting over with kisses.

Her hands caressed his neck, one hand finding the tie that held his hair back. With nimble fingers, she undid the knot and combed through the fine silky strands. His lips found a particularly sensitive spot along her collarbone, prompting her to arch her back and emit something not unlike a purr. "Bren ..."

"Yes?" he whispered, nibbling slightly.

Heart pounding, she tentatively let her fingers trail down his neck, nails raking against the fabric of his shirt. Skin on fire and thoughts racing incoherently, she pulled back to catch her breath.

"Breathe," he laughed. "I'm not going anywhere, neither are you, it is not a race. Breathe, Dawn."

"I'm trying," she admitted with a grin. "Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be all that important right now." She inhaled, then exhaled slowly, willing her pulse to slow down just a bit.

He smiled. "I should hate to lose you now that I've only just found you ... even to so trivial a thing as lack of breath."

The same dreamy expression returned, her hand returning to his cheek and stroking it gently. "Then I suppose I should practice that breathing thing some more." A spark of mischief entered her smile, and she pulled him back down to her, her insistence surprising both of them.

Breandon willingly succumbed to her desire, nimble fingers reaching for the clasps on the dress even as he occupied her mouth. His mahogany hair spilled everywhere, into her face and his and falling in a graceful waterfall to the floor. The position became too awkward to hold and they tumbled to the floor, still entangled in each other's arms.

Startled, Dawn pulled back, holding hair away from her face as she glanced down at Breandon, who was covered by the skirt of her dress. Half of the eye hooks that held the bodice of the gown together had been undone, and one shoulder hung to her elbow. Her face immediately grew bright pink, and she looked to him for some kind of explanation.

Breandon arched an unconcerned eyebrow. "Is that to say 'stop'?"

"I... I'm not quite sure," she admitted truthfully. The knowledge that she'd had to discard the bra that went with the other dress only made her cheeks grow even redder. "That fall was a bit abrupt."

"My apologies," he said seriously. "You were ... something like insistent, and I lost my balance."

And she was now sitting on him... _way to go, Dawn_. Gathering her skirt with one hand and trying to keep herself from falling out of the top of her dress with the other hand, she unceremoniously flopped onto the floor. "Sorry," she mumbled quickly, completely unsure of what to do next.

He rolled over and sat up, reaching out to her. "Why? It wasn't your fault, and I saw no problem at all."

"You didn't see a problem in falling onto the floor?"

He laughed. "Not with you there, certainly."

"Oh." Unsure of what to do, she fidgeted with the sleeve of her dress that refused to stay on her shoulder. Seconds passed, and she looked up helplessly at him. "Now what?"

"Did you want to stop, or should we go on? There is a bed ... "

At the word _bed_, Dawn involuntarily gasped and swallowed. "I... um, that's..." Words failed, her arms hugging the fabric of her dress to her skin. She squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them, and exhaled slowly. "I..." _Damn it_. "I'm not... not sure if... if..."

Breandon wrapped both arms around his knees. "Peace, Dawn. It is anything you like." He looked at her, watching the blush spread up her face, and sighed inwardly. "Come here. At least let me help you do up your dress again."

Silently, she got to her feet, still keeping one arm pinned across her chest while the other swept her hair off of her neck.

Breandon began to pull the sides of the dress together. "Why are you so nervous, Dawn? You must know that I wouldn't hurt you."

"I know," she sighed. "It's nothing you've done, believe me."

He bent his head and pressed a kiss to her shoulder blade. "I _am_ sorry. Please let me make it up to you."

"You don't have anything to be sorry for," she murmured.

"I wouldn't be so certain of that, my beauty," he returned, sliding a fingertip idly up and down her back.

She shivered before turning to face him. "Then what? What's there for you to be sorry for?"

His eyes closed, and lines made him look ages older as he said, "I don't know how to explain it to you."

_Can't you at least try?_ she wanted to say. "Oh," was all that came out. Frustration set in, with her vision blurred by unshed tears. She sought distraction in the last few unfastened hooks, bowing her head to hide her face behind her hair.

"Hey, hey, there, don't do that ... please don't cry ... oh, gods, please don't cry Dawn." Frantically he pushed the hair aside to get at her face, framing it in both hands. "Please?"

She shook her head, silent tears now flowing freely down her cheeks and over his fingers. Dawn forgot about the dress itself and merely stood weeping, not knowing why but unable to stop.

"Dawn, Dawn, please, don't ... talk to me, Dawn ... " Finally he gave up and simply drew her to sit next to him, pulling her head to his shoulder. "There, now ... " he whispered, stroking her hair. "Shush, it's okay. Everything will be okay. I'll make it so, for you." He carried on in the same vein for some minutes, feeling quite helpless in the face of her inexplicable tears. "I would do anything for you, love ... " he murmured into her hair.

Tears ebbed as the last of his whispers met her ears. That... those soothing words, they kindled a warmth inside her that was strikingly different from the adrenaline rush of before, or the embarrassment that had compounded her tears. Lifting her head, she managed to smile at him with tearstained cheeks.

"Do you feel better now? Will you please tell me what that was all about? Despite my reputation, I am not accustomed to beautiful young women crying at my attentions!"

"Yes to the first, and I'm not sure about the second." She sniffled a bit before going on. "Truthfully, I've never had to – " A sharp knock at the door interrupted the reply, and she stopped, startled.

"What the – " Firmly he put her aside and strode to the door, hair hanging to his knees and making him look girlish from the back. On second thought, Dawn reconsidered, Breandon could never really look girlish.

He flung open the door.

"Ah, you're still awake." Syrrene stood in the doorway, her expression one of smug satisfaction. "Papa's just a bit unhappy with what you did to Ferrin after dinner."

"Then your father should teach his sons to have more respect for a culture with more history than their own." He deliberately blocked her view through the door.

She bristled. "You're OUR guest, and besides, he was speaking to that Guardian girl first, not you. You should have known better than to get involved."

"I'm here on my own cognizance," he shot back, "and as a Lunar citizen, it is both my right and my duty to defend my culture wherever it is abused, regardless of whom is being addressed."

Dawn slipped into the kitchen area, out of sight of the door. Of all of the possible people to show up...

"And she wasn't even your responsibility," she continued haughtily. "Why didn't you just leave that to Serenity?"

"Somehow, I didn't notice my Queen standing there. Should I then leave her beloved nation open to ridicule?"

Syrrene searched for a reply, and came up with nothing. Twisting a bit of hair between her fingers, she began to pout. "Well? Aren't you going to invite me in?"

He essayed a smile, but it was a bad fit. "Ah! You came all this way just for that? My deepest apologies, my lady, I already have a guest. However," he pursed his lips, applying his well-known 'undressing' glance to her body, "You may certainly join us if that is your desire ... "

Syrrene laughed, brushing past him. "Liar. I have it on the best authority that you don't have anyone else here this..."

"Evening, Syrrene," Dawn purred from her perch in the kitchen. "Care to join in the fun?" True to her earlier threat, she had altered her fuku to one of black leather, complete with thigh-high boots and a nasty-looking riding crop. "We wouldn't have to tell your daddy, either. Our little secret," she whispered.

Breandon came in behind, shutting the door, and caught sight of Dawn. He held a straight face for a few brief seconds before he began to laugh so hard he had to sit down on the floor.

If she was going to do this right, she had to go all the way... "Get up," she snapped, walking over to him purposefully. "I'm not about to tolerate that kind of insolence." She shot a ferocious grin at Syrrene, who began a cautious retreat for the door.

Breandon gasped out a few more chuckles, bending over and clutching his middle. "Please, Mistress, forgive me!"

"I said that kind of mockery wouldn't be tolerated," she growled to Breandon's doubled-over form. "We'll just have to start with five lashes, to warm up... and then, it can be her turn." She cut through the air with the crop to emphasize, the whistle of leather punctuated by Syrrene slamming the door behind her as she ran out.

Breandon pounded his fist on the floor, trying to breathe. His face was red from laughter. "Did you really gasp need to do that?"

"Would you have rather she stayed?" Dawn's brown eyes danced while she twirled the crop like a baton. "Truthfully, I worried that this was something she'd have enjoyed."

He sneered. "Not Daddy's little girl ... although I have to wonder how much Daddy knows about his little girl's plans."

"Plans?" She allowed black leather to return to white satin, lavender haze shrouding her figure. "What do you mean?

Breandon explained, "I hardly think it would enhance his reputation for his daughter to become a conquest of mine. And I keep no secrets."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Which?"

"Having conquests and keeping no secrets," she answered swiftly.

He commented mildly, "Both, she wants. Imp." He smothered a yawn. "Very well. I don't keep secrets because it would be altogether too easy for someone in my position to be toppled by an ill-timed revelation. As to conquests, I'm quite sure I, or someone else at least, have told you about my propensity for amorous adventures. Of which you are not numbered."

She frowned, doubt creeping into her thoughts. "I see." This was not a subject she wanted to discuss with him, not after the past events of the evening. "Well, since she's gone, I should probably go back to my quarters as well."

Breandon nodded, and silently escorted her to the door. "Do you wish me to walk back with you?"

"If you want to. I wouldn't want to spoil your reputation."

"Don't be that way."

"Be what way? You've said some lovely things this evening about how you feel about me, things you would do, and then you offhandedly mention this illustrious reputation of yours that, unless I'm much mistaken, would involve some very similar words and actions." A lump rose in Dawn's throat and something between doubt and shame washed over her.

"You don't listen very well, do you?" he remarked, unruffled by her apparent anger. He regarded her with a cool gaze. "Did you wish to fight about this now, or shall we postpone it until our next meeting?"

"Oh, let's fight about it now," she snapped, sarcasm oozing. "I'd hate to have to reschedule, as you might be busy some other evening with someone else."

He drawled, "Would you care to stand here and screech like a fishwife, or shall we sit down and be somewhat civilised about it?" Dawn got the distinct impression that he was laughing at her... and it only infuriated her more. "Screech? I'll leave that to your 'conquests,'" she retorted acidly. "I'm perfectly capable of a normal toned discussion. As for civilized behaviour, I promise nothing."

He hitched himself up on the counter, leaving long legs dangling. "Fine, I shall sit and you may stand and screech, or not, as you like. Did you have a particular topic, or is this merely your hurt pride speaking at the mention of other women in my life?"

Anger rose as her fists balled at her sides. "Other women? You've already called them conquests, why bother trying to make believe that any of those episodes was more than some kind of game you enjoy playing?"

"You do not believe I valued each of them?"

"No." She folded her arms across her chest and glared at him. "At least, not for more than the handful of hours you shared their company."

"Ah." He nodded. "So you believe that I am ... what is the word? a dilettante, when it comes to women? That I prefer to simply sleep with a woman, rather than have a deeper attachment?"

"You seem to enjoy parading your reputation as such." Disgusted, she turned and started for one of the back rooms.

"Oh, come back here. You started this, now we shall finish it. Unless it is other things you have in mind, my beauty? You are beautiful in anger, you know." Breandon slid down to smile ingratiatingly at her.

"Fuck you," she swore vehemently, whirling about and jabbing a finger in his direction. "And finish it? Of course." Savagely, she undid the clasps on the back of the dress. Dawn again turned away, pulling the dress off and folding it across her bare torso before facing him again.

Now he looked stunned. "Why do you object so vehemently to the knowledge of my prior ... amorous adventures? I assure you, I do not intend to add you to that list."

She took her Guardian form and flung the dress in his general direction, rage building as she stormed towards him. "And how does one not get on _that _list? It seemed like I was almost there before another candidate interrupted." She choked on the end of the sentence, swallowing hard. "And since I can't repay you for the dress, keep it. Maybe it might come in handy for you again."

"Dawn, I ... " He couldn't say it. He closed his mouth, steeled his courage, and tried again. "I ... " He just could not say it! She was on the verge of storming out, in her perfect rage, and the words would not exit his mouth. He took a different tack. "Dawn ... don't, please don't. May I essay an explanation?"

Sure, why not?" She flopped unceremoniously onto the couch and pointedly rested her boots on the armrest. "Try me."

Breandon ran a hand through his loosened hair. He didn't want to sit beside her; she might hit him. "I did not, regardless of what you may believe, bring you here in order to make a 'conquest' of you. I respect my own history far too much for that; one does not use Senshi as sexual play toys." He closed his eyes. "I have made no secret of my personality with you. I find women charming; I enjoy them. I enjoy you. Even in your anger, which I seem to evoke rather easily. I will not," he opened his eyes and speared her with a green glare, "apologise for what I have done with my life before I met you! I do not make apologies for my actions to anyone, and the consequences are my own to assimilate."

"And I didn't ask for an apology," she countered. "At the same time, I think I have every right to question your intentions... maybe because I simply can't fathom how you can lead that kind of lifestyle, with what seems to me like so much..." Dawn let out a sigh of frustration and disgust while she searched for an adequate description. "Emotional fakery. False sincerity. I dunno."

At that, Breandon's temper, capricious at the best of times, exploded. "You think I lie to them? You think I have lied to you? How dare you presume to judge me, knowing as little as you know of this time, this place, me? How DARE you? I do not accept such an implication even from Kieran, to whom emotions are as clouds in the sky, and I will not tolerate it from you." He stalked forward, looming over her on the couch. "How do you dare?"

"BECAUSE I'LL BE _DAMNED_ IF I GET HURT AGAIN!" She shot to her feet in hysterics.

If anything, his voice dropped even lower, a bass and gravel purr that wall nearly inaudible. "You will not claim me a liar again. Not to my face. I require an apology for the insult."

"Then I'm sorry for making such an erroneous observation." She wiped her face with the back of her hand, a grotesque smile on her face as she curtsied. "My apologies, my dear Rainault."

All the rage ran out of him, leaving him flat and drained. Not even acknowledging the apology, he stumbled to the window, throwing an arm over his face to hide it. His voice was rough – with tears? Dawn wasn't sure. "You've done enough. Go, please. Just go."

She froze, guilt replacing the sarcasm and wounded pride that had fuelled the previous rage. Dawn took a hesitant step towards the window, one word a meek whisper. "Breandon ..."

"Please!" His voice cracked.

But I don't know the way."

His shoulders slumped. "All right," he said wearily, "let me put my hair up. Wait here." He vanished up the stairs without waiting for a reply, and returned a few moments later looking suave and unruffled. He offered her his arm. "Shall we go, my lady?"

She nodded mutely, gently placing her gloved hand on the dark fabric of his sleeve. Eyes downcast, she managed to follow him out into the darkness of early morning.

The dress lay, forgotten, across the arm of the couch.


	6. Battle

Chapter Five – Battle 

"Your father would not approve of this."

"And you will make sure that he doesn't know. Understood?"

"Yes, but still… this is highly unconventional, Lady Syrrene." Halle ventured a rare opinion as he followed the teenager into one of the least respectable gentleman's clubs in the area. Even her brothers didn't dare frequent this sty, despite appetites for disreputable and expendable women. She, on the other hand, breezed into the establishment without batting an eyelash and signalled to a buxom waitress.

"A private room, if you please. I'm waiting on several associates," Syrrene ordered coolly. The waitress eyed the fifteen year old with an expression caught between boredom and annoyance. "Is there a problem?"

"I think you'd best go home and play with your dolls," she replied. "We don't entertain children here."

Halle came up directly beside Syrrene, towering over the scantily-clad obstacle. "Did you not understand that the lady requires a private room?" He brandished a roll of currency and dropped it on her tray. "You understand this?"

"Of course."

"Then a room, and no further questions." He waited as she tucked the payment into a pocket and escorted them to a door near the stage. Syrrene breezed past him, sneering at the waitress as she entered. Halle followed, positioning himself in the doorway. Within the next ten minutes, a varied and well-armed assortment of persons assembled in the room, none venturing near the lithe blonde figure who regarded each of them coldly. Once the room had filled, she rose and scowled at the group.

"Most of you know that the Arronné family takes no threat lightly," she began, the trill in her speech emphasized as she raised her voice. "Myself included. I will not tolerate disrespect directed towards any member of my father's family, and I seek to make an example for others." A few heads nodded in agreement, while others shifted in their seats. "Of course, anyone seeking to aid the Arronné family will be paid handsomely for their effort. Let it be known that there are still those who appreciate such… prompt service."

Outside the room, ice melted in a glass as its owner eyed the girls on-stage, ears trained to the simpering alto that addressed the invitees. Another bounty… and relatively easy, considering the target. Untrained, unknown… the opportunity itself was delicious, and the payment would be more than sufficient. Knocking back the rest of the drink, the red-clad eavesdropper stumbled from table to door, bestowing a hungry look on the attending waitress. Outside, a hand nudged the switch of a communicator.

"Yeah, what?" The voice crackled back. "You coming back."

"I got a job for us. Good one, too. You'll like it."

"Who's it for?"

"Arronné family. Bounty. Someone pissed off the daughter, and she wants 'em for an example." Black hair streaked with red hid the communicator as the conversation continued. "You wanna try this one?"

"Can't afford not to," came the reply. "Don't do anything stupid, though." A pause, then a harsh question…"They _do_ plan to pay for the job, right?"

"She acted like it."

"Oh, c'mon. Fuckin' Pavori, they'll promise three times the bounty and then pay ya half if you're lucky. I'm not gonna put up with that shit."

"So we hold 'em, and the family pays the ransom. Someone's gonna want this target, you know that." A fierce smile accompanied the next comment. "I might even want him… he's legend, you know that?"

"Yeah, I've heard," she answered idly. "If he's important enough, Serenity might even pay us." The captain mused for a second, her fingers tracing the rim of a heavily laced daiquiri. "Yeah, what the hell. Get back here, and we'll talk. Like I said, we need the money."

* * *

A week had passed, and Serenity still delighted in the events that had taken place at the Arronné dinner. Rather than be upset upon Dawn's return at well past two in the morning, she had embraced the girl tightly and proclaimed her the best decision that Pluto had ever made. Even Rini begrudgingly admitted that the display in the courtyard had done wonders for her mother's arguments against the Pavori. The next morning, Serenity had coolly dismissed any other attempts at diplomacy on Arrturo's part, saying instead that she would be remiss to subject her family to such a hostile environment. Less than a day after arriving, they had returned to the palace with all three Imperials in high spirits.

The same could hardly be said for Dawn. Unable to sleep, guilt-plagued insomnia kept her pacing in her quarters, or sulking in bubble baths, or staring at an empty page of her thermodynamics notebook in a futile attempt to script an adequate apology. After three days, Rini had broken down and hauled Dawn out into the rose garden for a pointed conversation.

"All right, what's going on?" Hands on hips, she frowned at Dawn's black-clad figure. "You've been acting oddly since we left Pavori space."

Dawn shrugged, indifference on her face. "I don't know," she lied. "I guess I'm just wondering if what I did in the courtyard was really the right thing to do."

Rini scowled. "That," she began, "is the sorriest attempt at an excuse that I have ever seen. You're a horrible liar, Dawn. Seriously, what's wrong?"

The knot in her stomach tightened, having remained there since the fight she'd picked with Breandon. On the way home, Dawn had decided to blame herself entirely for the altercation, as she was the one with the problem, the one unable to vocalize anything without coating it with sarcasm and presenting it in an entirely controversial manner. "Nothing. I'm just homesick," she tried again.

It worked. Rini's expression softened as she slid next to Dawn on the concrete bench. "Is that it? I mean, it's kind of different here, I guess…"

"It's very different. More than you realize."

She brought up a hand to pat Dawn's shoulder. "I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do? I mean, maybe I could see if Sailor Venus could come around for a few hours tomorrow, she knows you, you know her…"

Dawn lifted her head and smiled at Rini. "It's just not the same, but thanks anyway. Besides, this sort of thing always goes away with time. You know that, you probably went through the same thing."

"But I was younger, and Pu was around a lot more, and no one expected as much of me as they do of you."

"I suppose."

Rini hopped up, extending a hand to Dawn. "C'mon. Let's get out of here… we could head over to Greynn's for a bite to eat, just to get away for a bit…"

"No, that's okay," she blurted out. "I'll be fine here, honestly. Besides, isn't there somewhere you need to be today? Some luncheon on one of the larger Navy ships for morale or something…"

"Dawn, exactly what happened with Breandon after you left with him?"

All colour drained out of Dawn's face at the mention of his name, her mouth going dry as she made the futile attempt to avoid any further questioning. She swallowed hard… there was no getting out of this, as she was effectively cornered by hedges and couldn't really deny having been in his company as everyone had seen him escort her home. And the truth… the truth would get her into so much trouble, she'd never be let out of the palace again, and she couldn't imagine what Pluto might do to him if she found out about what really happened in that living room…

"Dawn?"

"Um, well…" She fought to concoct a severely edited summary of the evening. "We talked… he was awfully flattering, I think he likes my hair or something… he showed me the rest of the sketches in his notebook… Syrrene came in, we scared her out of there…"

"Mom loved that, by the way," Rini noted. "You now have a reputation among the Pavori bodyguards as a whip-wielding dominatrix."

"Wonderful. I always wanted to be known in a far-off system as Mistress Dawn."

"Well, you got your wish." Rini sighed, playing with the ends of her pigtails. "And one other thing… be honest with me on this one… you and he… I mean, you didn't…"

"Didn't what?" For once, Dawn levelled a gaze at the Princess that was cold and analytical. "Become another conquest of his, another one of the many women who've had the assumed pleasure of sharing his bed?"

"Yes… and from the way you just said that, I'm going to assume no." She backed up a few paces, deciding that she'd best give the Guardian her space.

She rose, dusting the back of her trousers off. "You assume correctly. I'm not that foolish." She pulled the barrette from her hair, allowing the dark auburn strands to fall about her face. "He walked me back, and that was it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Because if you did sleep with him, it's nothing to be ashamed of," Rini ventured helpfully. "No one's going to blame you for – "

Dawn whirled on her, furious. "I didn't sleep with him! I don't WANT to sleep with him, contrary to the desires of the rest of this century's female population. That's not my priority with him, or any guy, for that matter!" She smacked her palm against the brick of the garden wall. "I'd like to think I have some standards… no way to exercise them at this point in time, but still…"

Rini put both hands out in front of her to shield her from Dawn's rage. "Fine, fine. Nothing happened, and I believe you. Geez, calm down. You're awfully cranky."

"Insomnia. Like I said, homesick," she muttered, rubbing her now-scraped hand. It stung, but such things were secondary. "Mind if we go inside?"

"Why don't you just take the rest of the day off?" Rini brushed past her on the way back to the palace. "I don't really feel like going anywhere, and you need time to unwind."

"But I'm fine, I…"

"You're tired, you're annoyed at something, and you're not telling me what it is. Rather than hang around each other, I'll go watch a movie and you can… do something," she finished. "If you're not going to talk to me, then go find some way to get that out of your system. It's not healthy."

"And how would you know?"

"Experience. Too much experience," replied Rini, her thoughts turning to a certain Prince of Jupiter. "Just… I dunno, do something. Come back when you're happier."

Dawn's eyes narrowed, suspicious. "You want to get rid of me?"

"I don't want to deal with you in this state," she answered. "Now, go on… and don't come back until you're in a better mood."

* * *

"That's the fifth one you've had in the past two hours. Don't you think you should take it easy?" Vince frowned with concern as Dawn wrapped her hands about the glass.

"It's Diet Coke, doll," she said, forcing a laugh. "And I'm used to massive amounts of caffeine."

"All right, just trying to watch out for you." He wiped the counter, eyeing her as she took a long pull on the straw. "And again, why purple?"

She pulled a strand of dyed hair out in front of her and frowned. "Because anything lighter would have meant bleach, and I just wanted a one-night commitment of colour." Letting the strands fall, she sighed heavily. "Not to be horribly paranoid, but you're not gonna say a word of any of this to Theo or Pluto or anyone else, right?"

"What's said here, stays here." Vince gave her a reassuring wink and threw the towel over his shoulder. "Lemme ask you one question, though."

"Sure." She watched the ice chase the lemon wedge in her glass as she stirred.

He leaned over, his voice low. "What were you so afraid of?"

Dawn bit her lower lip, closing her eyes to concentrate on the words she wanted to say. "Of… of letting myself get into something… something that would require me to open up on such a deeply intimate emotional level."

He nodded slowly. "Pardon my asking, but what about the physical level?"

"If you're asking whether I'm scared of the actual act of sex, no. That's not an issue."

Had she not been so incredibly serious, Vince would have laughed at the clinical delivery of her reply. "So, it's not a physical thing?"

"Nah. All in my head," she answered morosely.

"There's nothing wrong with that," he offered gently, leaning on the counter. "That's who you are."

"And it's absolutely maddening," she replied with a rueful laugh. Sitting up, Dawn stretched both hands above her head and yawned. "How long have I…" She trailed off as a familiar figure entered the bar, waving to Vince. "Oh, no… I'm not here, remember!" she hissed to the bartender as she pulled the collar of her black leather jacket up to hide her face.

Vince rolled his eyes, but obliged by stepping away from her before waving. "Kieran! 'Sup?"

"Seen Breandon? He's supposed to meet me for cards like usual, but he's late." Kieran stopped at the bar, unknowingly towering over Dawn's hunched-over figure.

Vince checked the clock above the door. "You're not on time, either," he pointed out.

"But I'm here first, and that's what would matter, right?" Leaning on the counter, he now noticed someone intently interested in her drink hiding behind a curtain of purple hair. "Oh, sorry. Didn't see you there."

_Good. That was the plan_. "S'all right," mumbled Dawn.

Despite the words being directed to the drink, he recognized her voice. "Dawn? Wow, didn't recognize you. You did something to your hair, didn't you? Something's different."

"I dyed it," she answered, still keeping her head down.

"That's it!" He nodded to Vince. "Did you notice? With the light in here, I guess it's kind of hard to tell." Vince hid a smile behind a hand while Kieran rambled on. "It kind of looks like grape juice, come to think of it."

"Thanks." At this point, she'd have traded anything for the ability to be completely invisible. "Didn't you say that you were meeting someone?"

"Yeah, Breandon. We're playing cards tonight. Are you still mad at him for what he did?" He managed to slide into the seat next to her. "You really shouldn't worry too much, especially with that kiss thing, because that's just how he…"

"Hey, Breandon!" Vince's voice boomed across Greynn's as the door opened and shut again. "You're late!"

"Hazard of the profession, my man, hazard of the profession."

Dawn slouched even lower in her seat, ready to pull the jacket over her head if she had to. Vince saw this, and ruffled her hair with a fuzzy black paw. "So you claim. Kieran beat you here... I think that means you're buying, doesn't it?"

Breandon eyed the tall, lanky figure of Kieran. "Only if he promises not to make me carry him out of here again."

Kieran gave a wide, toothy grin. "Sure, sure. No carrying."

"Then it's settled. What can I get you?"

Breandon came and leaned his elbows on the bar. "Do you have anything new and potent? I'm in need of a new vice."

Eyes wide behind her hair, Dawn stared at the glass inches from her face. _Please don't let him see me, don't let him notice me, just get him something and don't make me have to talk to him..._

"New and potent? Actually..." He pulled out a bottle of mandarin-flavoured vodka. "Care for citrus? I might have something you'd like."

"As long as it's strong, I don't care what it tastes like."

Vince flicked a glance at Dawn, then looked at Breandon. "You okay, man?"

"Don't ask."

"Sure?" Three shots of vodka plus the same amount of Kahlua were poured into a glass and poured between another, then over a third glass half filled with ice.

Breandon essayed a half-smile. "You know me, the eternal yo-yo. It'll pass."

"If you say so." Adding cream to the mixture and stirring slightly, Vince set the glass to Breandon's left. Dawn swallowed hard as the _clink_ came a bit too close for her comfort. She tried her best to turn away making as little noise as she could.

Breandon took a sip. He made a face redolent of a wine connoisseur, took another sip, and sighed with pleasure. "This will give a man forgetfulness. My gratitude, Vince."

"Any time." He wiped the counter, then frowned. "Seriously, you okay? If this is about a dress, then I gave you two shots too many."

"Hey!" Breandon exclaimed as Kieran appropriated the glass right out of his hands. Shrugging philosophically, he replied, "It's not about a dress this time."

Guilt gnawed at Dawn as she surreptitiously peered through her hair. Meanwhile, Vince set about to making a second drink while continuing the innocent inquiry. "No dress? Then what?"

"Hey, this is good!" Kieran exclaimed.

"Dammit, Kier, give that back! That's MY oblivion. Get your own." Clutching the drink, Breandon cleared his throat. "It's a girl, Vince. I know, I know, it's always either a dress or a girl, but this time is different."

_Oh, we get to hear THIS again. Wonderful._ Eyes back on her glass, she sipped the drink quietly and wondered what Vince was trying to do.

"A girl, but different," he paraphrased, sliding a less deadly version of the drink towards Kieran. "Sounds horribly melodramatic, man," he quipped. "I mean, girls are all the same, for the most part. A few details here and there, but overall..."

"Eh, I guess you're right," he said, but doubtfully, "but you know me – melodrama's my life."

Beside him, Kieran gleefully clutched his own drink. "Hey, Bren, did you know that girl from last time is here, too?" He pointed to Dawn, attempting to hide herself behind her glass and a leather jacket.

_He didn't... he did... and any chance I might have had for an apology is so screwed, it's not even funny. _Vince cringed as Dawn lifted her head, the most plaintive of expressions on her face as she regarded Kieran and his drink. She swallowed hard and turned around, the charade painfully over.

Breandon turned, slowly, hoping Kieran was, just once, just this one particular time, wrong, when Kieran was never wrong; he'd never known Kieran to be wrong in all the years they'd known each other, but maybe once, possibly, with luck, just this once ... no. It _was_ Dawn. "What did you do to your hair?" he blurted out.

She stared at him in shock, his reaction certainly not what she'd expected. "I dyed it..." she ventured cautiously.

He got up and came behind her, lifting the purple strands with gentle fingers. "I hope it washes out." Beside them, Vince quickly engaged Kieran in a lively discussion on mixing drinks, something the two had in common; it was about the only way he could give Dawn and Breandon any privacy.

Dawn sacrificed the rest of her drink to prove that the dye was indeed water-soluble; after a few seconds, one of the pieces that grazed her chin was a damp mahogany while her soda turned a sick shade of indigo. "It does... I was going to wash it out before I went to sleep." She pushed herself off of the stool, sticking her hands in the pockets of her jeans as she faced Breandon. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop... I'll leave you to your cards and stuff..."

"Don't leave on our account," he said quietly, "you've just as much right be here as we do. And as I told you, I don't keep any secrets. You overheard nothing I would not tell you to your face." His gaze was level and steady, looking up at her.

Dawn looked down, unable to meet him eye to eye. Suddenly, any kind of apology seemed hopelessly trite. "I remember," she answered softly after a long pause.

Breandon's shoulders slumped. _She still needs time_. Pulling the deck of cards out of his pocket, he returned to his friend and his drink.

Dawn lifted her head with the apology caught in her throat just as he returned to Kieran. Berating herself for the sheer inability to string a few words together, she retreated to the pool tables after getting a sixth Diet Coke from Vince. It took her forever to set up and chalk the cue, her attention far from the game at hand.

Usually, it would be considered fortunate for the four that few other than those associated with the Palace came here. But this, it seemed, was a night for change. The snap of billiard balls drowned out the slap and shuffle of cards – both of which were overridden by the sound of the door slamming open roughly. This, in and of itself, might not have been uncommon either – the junior ranks were known to become rowdy at night. But the men and women who entered Greynn's were no junior ranks. No Lunars, at all.

Vince dived under the bar, slapping a button on the way down.

"He's learned," the blue-skinned woman mused to herself as she shouldered the plasma rifle and levelled it at the crowd. "Delightful." Firing off several rounds that sent the majority of the patrons diving to the floor or reaching for their own firearms.

"Kali, you've got thirty seconds to get out," Vince yelled from his spot next to the sink. "Less, if someone here decides to fire on you."

She grinned ferociously at the massive stand-off that had formed, with laser guides criss-crossing the room and showing the positions of numerous plain-clothes LISA agents. "So? I just want that one there." A bright blue circle formed on Breandon's chest before gravitating to the space between his eyes. "Dead or alive, although I get more if he's alive." She extended a hand and motioned for him to rise. "Now, c'mere before I have to make this more complicated than it is."

Breandon himself was completely stunned. "You want ... me?" His peridot-green eyes crossed as he tried to look at the target mark on his forehead.

"Well, we can discuss what I want later," Kali answered with a sultry step towards him. "At the moment, there's someone who wants to see you, and I'll be paid handsomely to help out. Very simple, really."

With a flash of his usual charm, he grinned ingratiatingly at her. "Thank you, but I've pressing engagements here that I simply can't cancel. I'm so sorry, but I really must decline the invitation."

A small laser knife shot, end over end, across the room. Kieran looked slightly abashed when Kali turned her glare on him.

"Did you have something you wanted to say?" She stormed over to him, pressing the barrel of the rifle under his chin. "Go on, I'm more than happy to listen."

Kieran grinned like a shaggy, happy dog. "Bren's my friend. I can't let you take him out of here without a fight." He held up one big hand, and interlaced between the fingers were objects that could only be explosives. Breandon sighed.

A shrill laugh filled the hushed room as Kali's red eyes danced with mischief. "I like you," she proclaimed, not moving the rifle. "Those are really quite adorable. If you live through this, and you need a job, I'm sure we could work something out."

Dawn pushed herself to a crouched position next to the pool table. She quickly counted the crew that had followed the leader in... _fourteen_. All with rifles, and all with impressive armour... this wasn't looking good. But still... whispering her henshin phrase, lavender mist surrounded her form, and drew attention to her corner of the bar.

"Oh, gods, no," Breandon groaned under his breath, "don't let her do this ... I don't want her hurt." Before he had really had time to complete the thought, he was stepping forward, shoving Kieran's hand down, laying a hand on Kali's rifle. "I'll come. Just don't hurt anyone else. Don't hurt her."

Kali slammed the side of Breandon's head with the butt of the rifle before beginning a slow walk towards the pool table. Nothing annoyed her more than a target who just gave in like that… it took all of the fun out of the hunt. "Who's there? One of you Senshi who wants to pick a fight?" Kali's blue sphere lit up the patch of skin on Dawn's top, prompting her to look down, then up with a bemused grin. Flexing her palm and willing an orchid sphere of light the size of a lemon in her hand, Dawn held it out to the bounty hunter with a childlike grin.

"I'm game," she said in an all-too-friendly manner. "Wanna play?"

Kali's jaw dropped as the Guardian's figure came into view. She still bore a spectacular scar from a few years back, courtesy of the same incident that had prompted Greynn's first renovation. "Aw, shit. I'm not playing THIS game again," she muttered. Dropping the rifle and putting both hands in the air, she beamed at the rest of the group. "Well now, that just changes everything. How about we talk about getting together sometime later... my people can call your people... we'll do lunch... I'll buy the first round..." She faltered as Dawn casually tossed the sphere from one hand to the other.

"You've got to the count of three. One… two…"

Backing up, Kali turned tail and bolted out the door, leaving the rest of her group to fall prey to two dozen very pissed off LISA agents. Dawn let the sphere melt back into her hand before returning to the jeans and white tank top she wore. Slinging the jacket over her shoulder, she turned her attention to Kali's former target. Vince cleared the bar in one jump, meeting Dawn at the booth where Breandon lay unconscious, slumped over the table.

"What possessed you to bring explosives in here, Kieran?" Vince demanded as he shook Breandon's shoulder lightly.

Kieran looked guilty and stuck his hands behind his back. "They were just in my pockets ... " To be sure, Kieran's lab coat, black or no, always did seem to be weighed down.

"Well, could you check your toys at the door next time?" Vince let out an exasperated sigh. Brilliant guy, to be sure, but clueless in the real world... "He's not walking any time soon," he noted. "Wanna get him into the back room? We've got a cot back there, and that bruise is gonna be nasty without some ice."

"I'll get that," Dawn volunteered immediately, racing behind the bar and filling a towel with ice cubes.

Kieran squatted down and lifted his short friend in his arms, surprisingly delicate. Breandon's mahogany ponytail, untended, hung nearly to the floor. Kieran bore the designer to the indicated back room, laying him out on the cot with a mother's care.

Dawn hurried into the back room with the ice and a damp rag, kneeling next to the cot. Gently, she wiped the edges of the bruise where the skin had broken. Vince stood back, arms folded across his chest in silent observation while the LISA agents finished their own clean-up in the main room.

Kieran hovered, blocking the light and generally getting in the way. "He's gonna be all right, right? Right?"

"Yeah, once he wakes up," she answered, now holding the ice to his cheek. "The bruise shouldn't last for more than a week or two." She cleared the hair from around his face with a light touch and began patting the other side of his face softly while calling his name. "Breandon? Hey, Breandon? C'mon, time to wake up, doll."

His eyelids fluttered. "Ow," he moaned, "Holy Mother of Serenity, what'd you do to me, you blue bitch?" Then his eyes shot open and met Dawn's, and his pallor vanished in a rush of dull red. "Um, oops?"

Delight and relief evident in her smile, Dawn beamed at her patient while keeping her hand on his cheek. "She's gone. I think I scared her off..."

"What you are scared her off," Vince corrected. "She's crazy, but not stupid enough to threaten a Guardian twice."

"How convenient," Dawn answered, eyes still fixed on Breandon. "How do you feel?"

"Like someone used me to hit the biggest gong in existence." He closed his eyes again. "What happened to the rest of them?"

Vince checked over his shoulder. "They've contributed a handsome plasma rifle collection to the LISA reserves, and are currently being taken to the detention centre for questioning." He motioned to Kieran. "C'mon, you get the cards picked up, and I'll start on the bar. Drink's on me."

Casting a very purple glance backward, Kieran obediently followed Vince out of the room, actually remembering to shut the door. Breandon sighed. "Now what was that all about anyway?"

"That girl? I dunno," she answered. "Sounded like she was trying to collect you for someone else." She lifted the compress to check the bruise, then replaced it. "Her running off on my account was just dumb luck."

"My luck, certainly. Ow ... that's going to leave a mark. I wonder if I can take it out of her hide, later?"

"She doesn't seem the duelling type, doll."

He cracked an eye briefly. "Why are you calling me that, and why is it you in here and not Kier? I thought you despised me and my playboy ways."

"It's one syllable, and Kieran's got his pockets full of dynamite." She concentrated on dabbing the edge of the bruise where it had bled slightly. "And I don't despise you, I just don't understand why you do what you do."

"Kieran ALWAYS has his pockets full of dynamite. He's the epitome of the mad scientist. It's never hindered him before. Although I imagine a careless match would leave him with an interesting new hairdo." Breandon avoided the topic of himself, severely confused by Dawn's behaviour.

"Speaking of hair," Dawn said as she sat back on her heels. "Purple bothered you that much?"

"It – ow," he grimaced, "it didn't suit you at all."

"Take it easy," she cautioned, replacing the ice on his face. "Well, like I said, it washes out. It'll be back to the usual colour by tomorrow morning." Taking his hand, she had him hold the compress. "Keep that there, I'm going to see if there's some antiseptic or a first aid kit around this place."

"Yes ma'am," he sighed.

"Don't call me 'ma'am,' I'm not old enough," she replied absently as she opened a cabinet.

"It's a simple term of courtesy."

"You don't have to be that formal with me." A white box lay on the top shelf. Dawn stretched up to reach it, fingers brushing the plastic surface. "In fact, it's kinda awkward... I mean, it's enough to deal with the guards at the palace saluting when I walk through the hallways to get a snack." She jumped, snatching the box from the ledge. "Got it," she exclaimed proudly.

Breandon gently felt over the bruise with his fingertips. "It doesn't occur to you that maybe I want to."

"Why?" She sat cross-legged on the floor, rifling through the box contents for something Neosporin-like. It kept her from having to look at him... her stomach had started the familiar knotting again, and it was driving her nuts.

"I consider it the better part of valour to be polite to you," he said stiffly.

Dawn stopped her charade, shoulders slumping forward as a long rush of air escaped her lips. Now the muscle tension had started to work its way up her back and into her ribcage. "Not to change the subject or anything, but I apologize for picking a fight with you that night... and for calling you a liar," she added, her head still bowed. "And for not being more grateful for the dress... and – "

Enough," he cut her off. He winced. "I hold none of it against you. I was a fool, and wrong."

"How were you a fool?" Perplexed, she finally managed to look at him.

"I believed my undeniable charm would be enough to win your heart."

Dawn's expression softened as her eyes filled with tears. Setting the first aid kit aside, she slid over to the cot and gently took Breandon's hand in hers. "You're not a fool. Far from it," she whispered, pressing his hand to her cheek.

He squeezed her hand, head aching far too much to take advantage of the moment – even if he'd been inclined to. This was definitely a situation out of his parlance. "Don't cry."

"Oh, this?" She sniffled as tears spilled over onto her cheeks. "It'll pass." She wiped her eyes on a corner of her shirt and attempted to smile. Fumbling for the box of bandages and assorted goodies, she pulled it over to her. "Now, about that bruise," she began.

"Never mind the damned bruise," he grumbled, "I want to know why you were trying to hide."

"Because..." Her fingers closed about something that looked like antiseptic. "Because... because I was a bitch and I needed to talk to someone, and I didn't know if you were going to be here, and I didn't want you to know I was here, because I hadn't figured out a good way to apologize for what I did and said." Another sigh, and she lifted her head. "If that makes any sense, of course."

"Oh." He held still and silent, then, while she smeared sticky antiseptic over the edges of the bruise. A gasp of relief escaped him when the painkilling effect activated. "I will ever be thankful to Lady Mercury for this stuff," he muttered, and sat up.

"Better?" She capped the tube and tossed it back amongst the bandages, sitting back on her heels.

"Much. I thank you, fair lady." He smiled.

"You're welcome, doll."

He arched an eyebrow.

"What?"

"I think you should find a new nickname, imp."

"Imp?" She laughed merrily as she got to her feet. "I could say the same thing to you."

"You are an imp. You bedevil me every chance you get." He let his hands hang down between his knees and looked up at her through his own eyelashes.

"I do?"

"Stop being obtuse."

Dawn beamed as she took a seat next to him. "Okay, perhaps I do. It's not completely intentional, though."

"I believe I will choose to disbelieve that. Surely no woman could be as alluring, as daring and beautiful as you without some intent." He looked at her sideways.

She had no response to that, other than to duck her head and blush. Again with the compliments... "Are you enjoying yourself?" she said from behind her hair, face reddening despite every attempt to keep her complexion to its usual pale shade.

"I do, in fact, enjoy paying compliments to beautiful women," he admitted. "Stop that, or I shall have to kiss you."

"Beautiful?" She placed a hand on the back of her neck... even _that_ was warm. "If you say so... and stop what?"

He brushed a wing of hair away from her face. "Hiding behind your hair. And I do say so. Often. To as many people as will listen to me."

She opened her mouth to protest, and he swooped in to kiss her squarely on the mouth, silencing her. "You talk too much," he murmured against her lips.

_Yeah, I talk too much_, she thought happily. _Shut up, Dawn._

"Look, I just want to talk to the guy and make sure he's okay, Vince." Theo growled at the bartender who had put himself between his boss and the door.

"He's fine," Vince hurried. "Roughed up, but we're taking care of him."

Theo walked towards the office, all seven feet of him frowning down at Vince. "We just had a major breach at the spaceport, which turned out to be a distraction for this little operation. Three shuttles have been reduced to metal and melted polymers, and I have a very pissed off admiral on my case, not to mention a pregnant wife who's hooked up to monitors over at the hospital and who's trying to tell me that she should be allowed to walk around. I DON'T need this, Vince. MOVE!"

Meekly, Vince obliged and stepped aside. As Theo opened the door to the office, a surprised sound somewhere between a purr and a growl escaped his throat.

Unhurriedly, Breandon completed the kiss with a flourish and released Dawn. He grinned up at Theo, eyes glinting with a joyous light. "A good evening to you, grand sir!"

"H-hey, Theo." Dawn smiled weakly. "Guess you heard about Kali, huh?" He frowned down at her, and Dawn immediately thought of her own father. That was a face Jack Connolly would have made in this very situation. "Yeah, I bet you did."

"Good evening," he said, ignoring Dawn. "Mind telling me what happened to you?"

"The lady – Kali? – apparently took a liking to my pretty face and wished to carry me off, but, it would seem she also heard of my prowess at fighting and deemed it necessary to bring along a group of toughs to subdue me." Breandon touched the bruise. "She smacked a laser rifle into my head when I attempted to surrender."

"And you were involved how?" His attention turned to Dawn, whose hands were folded demurely in her lap.

"I was here playing pool..."

"Why am I not surprised," muttered the Isbanni.

"... and I thought that I could maybe help, so I transformed and, um, challenged her." Dawn's face lit up at the memory. "She ran off when I suggested we play."

Theo grumbled, muttering something about an uncanny likeness before clearing his throat. "And you were back here taking care of him, I suppose? 'Tending to his injuries,' as it were?"

"All right, back off, Captain," Breandon suggested, "I think that's enough sarcasm." He touched Dawn's hand. "She was indeed instrumental in bringing me around and possesses quite competent nursing skills."

"Commander, actually," Theo corrected absently. "And I don't doubt her skills, but at the same time..." He ran a hand over the braided queue that hung over his shoulder. "If you're feeling better, you might think about taking this some place else," he suggested delicately. "For her sake moreso than yours."

Breandon sighed. "I appreciate your concern, but I doubt it will be a problem for much longer ... " He shoved himself up from the cot, swayed for a second, then ran a hand through his hair, sweeping the tie out of the long ponytail. "I believe I shall return to my home now, if you please."

"Go with him," Theo nodded at Dawn, whose jaw dropped in amazement. "He's not in any shape to go anywhere by himself." He reached over and ruffled her hair in the same fashion as Vince had done earlier. "And wash that out, it looks horrid."

"Sure," she stammered. "Sure, I can do that..."

"Good." He winked at Dawn before turning for the door. "Take the back door... the front's swarming with agents." He slipped out, yelling to Vince about cleaning up the bar and running out of mandarin vodka again.

Vaguely irritated, Breandon stared after Theo. "I am completely competent to go anywhere I like on my own."

Dawn just shook her head.

"Very well then, let us be off, my lady." He marched unsteadily to the back door.

Dawn caught his arm, opening the door before he could reach it. "Take it easy," she warned. "You just got smacked in the face... and I wouldn't be surprised if you're two steps from a minor concussion."

"Ah, fine, fine, I defer to your expertise."


	7. Truth

Chapter Six – Truth 

Somehow, between the two of them, they managed to get him all the way back to his small, plush apartment.

"Will you be pleased to enter, lady?" Breandon asked, standing in the doorway and looking about three steps from collapse.

"I'll be more pleased when you sit down and take it easy." Worry evident in her voice, she helped him inside. "Now, where are you going to sit and take it easy?"

"Right here," he said, suiting action to words and dropping with an ungraceful thud into a papasan chair near the huge picture windows. "Ow."

Dawn tossed her jacket on the floor and stood over Breandon's figure now sprawled in the chair. "Look at me," she instructed, gently lifting his chin so she could check his eyes as she held up a finger. "Follow this, okay?" Rather than follow the finger, he lunged forward and kissed it.

"That's not what I meant." She tried to keep a straight face. "How's your head feeling? Still dizzy?"

"Dizzied only by your beauty." He made a face. "I am fine, Dawn, quite fine. You needn't stay of concern for me."

"You need someone to keep an eye on you," she protested. "Getting knocked unconscious is nothing to brush off... you were out cold for about five minutes."

"It wouldn't be the first time."

"You're impossible," she declared, turning to the window. "Absolutely impossible."

"I have never denied it."

"Perhaps." Dawn stuck both hands in the back pockets of her jeans as she gazed at the Earth on the horizon. "Is there anything you need? Water, ibuprofen, food, etcetera?"

"Rest. Or, perhaps, a distraction from my thoughts." His eyes were closed, and he looked smaller slumped down in the embrace of the papasan. Brunette hair poured everywhere.

She pulled herself away from the window, lest homesickness set in. "Then rest," she said tenderly. A thought occurred to her, one that made her cheeks flush and her skin tingle. She could argue that it was a perfectly legitimate thing to do, considering her earlier promise. Still... it was the actual phrasing... _and what if something happens?_ She chewed her lip, wondering if this was the right thing to do...

"I can hear you thinking all the way over here."

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you," she teased, working up her courage. "I was wondering... I mean, if you don't mind..."

"I am unlikely to mind anything you choose to do, provided you do it to me." His eyes were still closed, but a hand clenched in the edge of the cushion.

"Actually, I was going to ask if you minded my using your shower. I've gotta get this purple stuff out of my hair." Surprised at her boldness, she held her breath for the response.

The hand relaxed. "Be my guest. Towels in the top cupboard. Will you require any other help?"

_Nah, I can undress myself_, _thanks for the offer_. She stifled an embarrassed giggle at the thought. "No, but yell if you need anything... and you're sure you don't mind?"

"Go on, I'm fine."

Heart pounding, Dawn found her way to the master bathroom and pulled a fluffy black towel from the aforementioned cupboard. Discarded clothing was folded neatly in a pile on the sink, and the towel thrown over a nearby bar. Hesitantly, she turned on the water and stepped into the warm spray. Purple dye pooled at her feet and slipped down the drain as steam fogged mirrors and cast a damp film over the shower door. Relaxing somewhat, she reached for what appeared to be shampoo and lathered her hair to rid it of the rest of the dye.

Humming to herself, she watched as the water finally ran clear around her feet. The entire process had taken about five minutes, and while it was tempting to stay in the shower for ten times as long, she felt that wouldn't be appropriate at the moment. Meanwhile, the thought, however impossible it might be, that he'd walk in, or at least be standing there when she opened the door to get the towel gave her a strangely wild thrill. With a deep breath, she pushed the shower door open a few inches and peeked out.

The shower room was empty of everything but steam. Slight snores could be discerned, now that the water was off.

Relief and disappointment were evident in a funny expression on her face. Squeezing the excess water from her hair, she wrapped herself in the towel and crept out to the living room. Sure enough, Breandon lay asleep in the papasan chair, hair everywhere. Dawn came up next to him, smoothing the hair away from his face as she checked the bruise. _Ugh, that's going to be nasty by tomorrow morning..._

He sighed and snuggled down farther into the chair.

_Almost looks innocent_, she thought to herself. Leaning over, she kissed him gently on his lips before another snore could escape.

He responded almost immediately, kissing back and reaching out a hand for her. "Ahhh, Dawn ... "

"Right here, doll," she whispered soothingly. "I'm not going anywhere."

His eyes, green as newborn leaves, opened to look into hers. "You confuse me."

"I could say the same about you."

"I am perfectly understandable!" he exclaimed.

"Shhh, you're supposed to take it easy," she said, putting a finger to his lips. "Now, why do I confuse you?"

"First you are beautiful and kindly, even in the face of the Princess' scorn ... then you flaunt yourself before me but take offence at my natural reaction. You are constantly teasing me but if I should come close you flee like deer from the hunter. It's unfair!" His tone was petulant, childishly whining.

"I don't mean to tease you all the time," she answered playfully.

He turned away. "I don't believe you."

All seriousness returned to her voice. "I'm not kidding... I think the only time I did anything on purpose was with that window and the sunset during the Pavori dinner."

"I'm sure those kisses you initiated were accidents; you just happened to fall against me." The tone was slightly acidic.

"And what about the ones you initiated?" she countered, floundering verbally.

"Contrary to popular opinion, I do prefer to begin a relationship with some slowness rather than diving in midstream." He stared out the window.

"You're saying that... that I'm exhibiting aggressive behaviour?"

"I'm saying that you are extremely attractive, and you are sending a great many mixed signals. And I can't figure out why I'm not giving up on you."

"Because I don't want you to?" Dawn clutched the towel about her, unable to believe that she'd said that out loud.

"Is that a question, or an answer?"

"It's..." Her grip relaxed. "It's the truth." Chocolate brown eyes fixed on the figure in the chair, she fought to speak coherently. "Please don't."

Breandon turned the force of his gaze on her. "Shall I take that to mean I have your permission to court you? Think carefully before you answer."

She took an involuntary half-step back, stopping herself before lifting the other foot. _Stop running... what are you running from? Him? Stupid... stand still_. "What do you mean by court, exactly?"

"Attempt to win your heart and hand," he clarified. "Outrageous flattery, duels on your behalf, favours and expensive gifts. Usually the woman permits her paramour some leeway in the matter of the physical."

Dawn's lips curled in a bemused frown. "Haven't you already done much of that already? Or am I just reading into things more than I should?"

"You seemed to object, before." Stiffly, he said, "I do not wish to burden you with my attentions."

"I didn't know if you were serious or not," she replied gently. Clearing her throat, Dawn made an attempt at a more eloquent response to Breandon's solemn request. "But I would be most flattered and honoured if you did bestow such attention on me."

"The honour is mine. Now, come here. Didn't I tell you never to wear black?" He dragged himself to a more upright position and began to pull at the towel. Dawn gave him a very flat stare. He sighed. "Very well. Help me up, then."

"And where do you plan on going?"

"To get you something to wear, obviously."

Dawn opened her mouth to object on the grounds that she had clothes, and he needed to rest. A second glance at Breandon made her think better, and she held her towel with one hand while extending the other to him. "All right..."

With a slow groan, he pulled himself up and paced towards the bedrooms. He stood in front of an open closet for long moments before pulling down a light, airy-looking short dress in a sunflower-patterned fabric. "This will fit."

"I hope so. It's lovely." Dawn put out a hand for the dress. "I'll be back in a minute."

With some reluctance, he handed it to her. "Hurry, my dove, I find myself growing weak."

She skidded into the bathroom, closing the door most of the way and snatching up her undergarments. An odd giddiness causing fumbling fingers, she managed to get them on and checked her reflection in the mirror. Beaming at herself, she slipped on the dress and ran her fingers through her wet hair. Dawn scurried back to where she'd left Breandon. "Well?"

His jaw dropped. He closed his mouth hastily, but Dawn had already seen the reaction. "You are, as ever, stunning." The yellow-gold and blue of the dress made her skin look like pale cream and turned her hair into dim flame. He came to her and placed both hands around her waist, drawing them close together.

"I distinctly remember you saying something about being weak," she teased gently.

"It passed when I laid eyes on your beauty."

For once, she kept sarcasm and protest in check, merely bowing her head in response.

He wrapped his arms around her and tucked his head under her chin. "I could wish you were shorter, but, no matter." He swayed slightly.

_I'd wish the same thing, but..._ Dawn tightened her embraced. "You shouldn't be standing," she murmured, worried.

He grinned up at her. "What, you will not catch me if I should fall? But I take your point. Come, then." He led her back to the main room, but selected a deep futon piled with pillows to sit on instead of the papasan.

She sat, tucking her feet under her and allowing the dress to drape over the cushions. Patting the spot next to her, she winked. "Now, sit. You're not supposed to be standing, remember?"

He sat obediently. "Your wish is my command, my lady. What will you have of me? Compliments? Music? Romance?" A twitch at the corner of his mouth told her he was subtly teasing her.

"You're mocking me," she laughed. "And after having been so serious before."

He flung his head back and laughed also. "I mock everyone. Seriousness in romance has its place, but I believe that place is in the bedroom, not in a casual setting such as this. Does my lady wish me to be serious?" Green eyes twinkled at her. "As an accepted suitor, I must obey my lady's slightest wish, lest she choose another man in my place."

"Just be as you are. Mischievous eyes and all."

Another rumble of a laugh escaped him. _Strange that such a small man should have such a deep voice,_ Dawn thought idly. He swept up one of her hands and began to kiss each fingertip with meticulous attention. "Will you stop running from my desire now?" he inquired, between fingertips.

"Mmm-hmm," she breathed, watching him intently. Funny how something so simple could be so sensual at the same time... Dawn closed her eyes as she lay back against the pillows. "No running."

He kissed her palm, then leaned forward, attempting to kiss her mouth, but a wave of dizziness swept up and he fell on her breasts instead.

She sat up with a squeak, then began laughing hysterically. "Oh dear," she began, cradling his head gently. "Whatever happened to taking things slowly?"

"I believe that intention vanished with the lovely crack to the head I've gotten," he said, voice muffled. The bassness of it made Dawn's spine vibrate. He fumbled around, feeling for a place to put his hands and push himself upright. Injudiciously, he shook his head, then moaned ferociously, "I am going to _kill_ that blue bitch."

"Shhhh. Not tonight, you won't." She kissed him on the forehead.

Anger sparked in his eyes, then died out. "Did you have other plans?" he inquired, threading fingers through her still-damp hair.

Dawn shook her head. "I was more or less kicked out and told not to return until I was in a better mood. I had intended to sit and sulk, but something better presented itself. You?"

"I had a project," he replied, "but with this headache, I should have to put it off anyway. I shall have to cancel the next game with Kieran at this rate." He paused. "What is thy wish, o star of the sunrise?"

"I came back here to take care of you, remember?" Dawn sat up, shaking her head. "You should be lying down, not me."

Breandon settled back against the pillows. "I honestly don't need you to take care of me." He drew her to lean against him. "Just having you here with me finally is care enough," he whispered into her hair.

She reached up to stroke his cheek, carefully avoiding the injury. "Well, I want to take care of you," Dawn whispered as her cheek rested against his chest. A steady heartbeat provided a soothing rhythm, and her eyes slowly closed. "You'll just have to accept that."

"Yes, my lady," he murmured, closing his own eyes. His breathing slowed down, easing into rhythms of sleep.

Hours passed, night slowly creeping away to reveal the rosy-tipped fingers of Dawn's namesake. As light peeked into the room, a frantic pounding on the door brought Dawn out of a deep sleep and nearly sent her tumbling to the floor.

More pounding jerked Breandon out of soothing dreams. He clutched at Dawn, attempting to keep her from the floor. "May I kill this person, Dawn?"

"Depends on the time," she yawned, pushing herself up to a sitting position. "It's far too late for anyone..." The slow realization that morning had arrived drained all colour from Dawn's face. "Oh, shit, Oh, shit... I should have been back at the palace hours ago... oh, shit..."

Breandon released Dawn and rolled gracefully to his feet. Striding over, he yanked the door open. "May I _help_ y – "

Winter scowled at her cousin, while Pluto cast an equally displeased glance at the dishevelled designer. "That all depends upon your definition of 'help,' doesn't it?" Her hair pulled into a severe bun at the nape of her neck, she placed a hand on the door. "May we? That is, if you're not _busy._"

"Oh, damn," he sighed. Standing aside, he gestured them in. "Winter, this is Dawn Connolly, the Guardian. Dawn, this is my cousin, Winter Rainault, Lt. Comm. of LISA. Will it please you all to be seated?" He flung himself back down on the futon without waiting for a reply, deliberately pushing his hair back so the bruise was visible.

"Gods, Breandon!" Winter exclaimed, shock clear in her alto tones. "Theo wasn't kidding ... "

Dawn smoothed her hair, all loose curls after having been damp and slept upon. Pluto remained standing, openly glaring at Breandon. "How does it feel to be the target of a kidnapping, Breandon," she queried, fury barely kept in check. She glanced at Dawn, who met her gaze with a remarkably even one of her own. Surprised, Pluto turned back to the young man.

"Fairly obnoxious, if you wish the truth," he shot back. "I've been targeted a number of times before and you didn't interfere, so I fail to see why you would do so now."

"Extenuating circumstances," she answered tartly while nodding in Dawn's general direction. "I explicitly warned you, as I recall."

He looked the picture of relaxation as he lounged against the cushions. He took Dawn's hand pointedly in his own before replying with a snap of anger, "Mind your own damned business, Pluto. You too, fair cousin. I fail to understand why I should require your advice in choosing to whom I would give my heart."

"Breandon, what are you saying?" Winter leaned forward, a lock of black hair falling in her eyes.

"Exactly what you think."

"Elucidate."

He regarded the intruding pair from underneath lazy lashes. "No more games, o guardian of the gates of time. No further parades of fair ladies through my rooms, save what my work requires." He brought Dawn's hand to his lips and kissed it.

Dawn's hand trembled before being enclosed in the steady warmth of Breandon's grasp. As he engaged in a witty exchange of words with Winter, she found herself looking up at Pluto. Something about Pluto's disapproval stirred a deep resentment within her. That woman had taken advantage of her abilities and temperament on one too many occasions... pulling her away from school, pulling her away from family and friends, and now demanding that she pull herself away from him... it was too much. As his lips met her hand, she found herself giving Pluto the smuggest look of sheer content she could muster.

_They were both too defiant,_ Pluto found herself thinking. Didn't they realise what was at stake here?

"Pu," Dawn began, interested. "Exactly what did you warn him about?"

"I told him," she began, "not to be a distraction. You have a duty here, young lady, and cavorting with this fickle young man is not part of it."

"Now I resent that. I have gone to some length to impress upon you that I am turning over a new leaf." Breandon frowned.

"Cavorting?" Dawn sat up, indignant. "And don't lecture me about duty. I've willingly devoted myself to every task and request that you've asked of me over the past two years. Disrupted high school, disrupted college... and I'll mention Xanik only because it's taken me a year to forget about the last time you brought me here." Keeping her temper in check, she brought her voice back to a normal tone. "I've kept to duty, and I'm the last person to accuse of abandoning duty, especially when it comes to Rini."

Breandon wrapped his arm around her shoulder, radiating support and agreement. "You people owe her some happiness."

Pluto bit her tongue, holding back her diatribe for Dawn's sake. In all actuality, the girl probably didn't know any better. "You need to be back at the palace within the hour," she said woodenly. "I'll speak to _you _later."

"No."

Silence fell. Everybody looked at Breandon. Pluto's tone was dangerous. "What do you mean, no?"

"Just what I said. No. If she goes back to the palace, it will be on her own wishes. Duty or not, she is owed far more than she gets out of you people." His hands closed tightly around Dawn's hand and shoulder. "I won't let you abuse her goodwill any more."

Pluto's eyes narrowed at the pair. "Then I would hope for her sake that she comes back to the palace in a timely fashion. As for abusing one's goodwill, you are pushing your luck when it comes to my patience." The Guardian of Time spun on her heel and walked towards the door. "Winter?"

Winter looked thoughtful. "I hope, for your sake, cousin, that this is what you hope it to be." She followed Pluto to the door, cast a last, unreadable glance back, and was gone.

All the tension ran out of Breandon, and he fell back against the cushions. "Oh, gods," he muttered.

Dawn slumped next to him, a hand to her forehead massaging what could prove to be a massive headache. "That wasn't good. She's pissed about something..."

"My interest in you," he replied. "At least Winter is on our side now. And Theo, it would seem."

"Theo, I could understand," she mused. "But Winter? Where do you get that?"

"She wished us well." _What a way to ruin a morning_, he thought. "I suppose I should take you back before she removes me from time altogether."

Dawn stifled a yawn. "I don't think she'd go that far, but we should probably get me back to the palace. I don't think Rini had this length of time in mind when she told me to leave yesterday."

Breandon wrapped both arms around her. "Can you go back by yourself?"

"I can. I'd rather stay for a while longer," she admitted, "but I can get back. Let me get my clothes from the bathroom. Where should I leave the dress?"

He released her as abruptly. "Keep it. In case of ... in case."

She nodded. "I'll just wear it today and make everyone jealous, then." Dawn tucked an errant curl behind her ear. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He reclined on the futon, watching her collect her things and prepare to return to the Palace. "When may I see you again?"

"When may..." Dawn stopped and lifted her head to stare at him. "Any time you'd like, doll. I unfortunately don't know when the next 'night off' is going to be."

He nodded. "Come here, please."

Clothes in hand, Dawn approached the barely-dishevelled figure. "Yes?"

He pulled her downward to kneel beside the futon, tilted his head sideways, and took his time giving her a passionate kiss. "Until we may meet again."

Dawn's eyes fluttered open. "Definitely."

* * *

On her way back to the palace, Dawn's impromptu dancing and humming brought confused stares and knowing smiles from onlookers. She alternated walking, skipping, and a graceful balance on the curb with a merrily whistled accompaniment. The morning air crisp and the sunlight warm, both lent an ideal backdrop to her blissful mood. Her cheeks ached from her smile, but she didn't care… it only cause her to widen the smile and emit a delighted giggle as she skipped up the stairs to the palace.

_In love. Hopelessly in love. With Breandon. Hopelessly in love with Breandon._ The phrase sang out in her head, the inner voice finally put to good use as a herald of all things wonderful. Dawn turned a corner as more happiness bubbled over into laughter. With wings on her feet, she skipped to her suite. Once inside, the Guardian kicked off her shoes and flung herself on the bed, giggling in delight.

"You realize this isn't supposed to happen."

Dawn sat up, chills replacing warmth as Pluto's figure appeared in the doorway. "What? I'm not supposed to be happy?"

"You're not supposed to be involved with anyone in this time," Pluto elaborated. "This could cause… problems."

"And whose fault is that?" She folded her arms across her chest. "I just came on your request. You never said anything else."

"Don't you have any common sense? Any idea of the greater picture?" She scowled at Dawn, who now resumed the same smug expression she'd worn earlier next to Breandon. "Obviously not. Maybe I should spell things out for you…"

"Maybe you could just let me be happy for once," Dawn shot back nastily. "Or is that not allowed either?"

"You don't understand! This could disrupt the entire Guardian line, causing serious problems once you leave." She noticed Dawn's smugness falter, the smallest bit of concern evident in her brown eyes. "Yes, leave. You'll have to return to school at some point."

The young woman's eyes narrowed, sheer obstinacy showing in her clenched fists and clipped words. "Well, you're the amazing Senshi of Time. Isn't that your job to fix?"

"I am NOT about to sacrifice the Guardian line for the arrogant whims of one Dawn Connolly," Pluto retorted. "The preservation of the timeline into which you entered and from which you came is just as much your responsibility as it is mine."

"So what are you going to tell me to do about it?"

_I hate doing this_… "Concentrate on your duty here, and leave Breandon to be the legendary playboy designer of New Crystal Tokyo," she answered. "What's transpired between the two of you was never intended to happen."

Dawn drew her knees to her chest, wrapping bare arms about her legs. Looking downwards, she spoke softly yet with a bitterness that none had ever heard. "So blame Palace security."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me." Her tone now venomous, Dawn responded with a fury Pluto had never experienced. "Security failed to keep Eos safe, prompting you to use me in her stead. Or maybe you could blame her attacker's parents, or Rini for leaving the party early. You can't convince me that THAT was supposed to happen."

"Dawn, this is…"

"Not fair to me in the least," she finished angrily. "Or Breandon, for that matter." She raised her head, voice hoarse and fists balled at her sides. "Leave me alone, Pluto. At least, let me have some bit of happiness in my horribly fucked up life."

The Guardian of Time bit her lip, Dawn's words stinging. "Then go on. Be my guest, follow your whim if you choose. Keep in mind that no matter what," she said, jabbing a finger at the young woman, "you don't belong here. You are a fix, a temporary replacement. I hold you responsible for anything that may result."

"FINE!" Dawn yelled at the closed door as Pluto left, throwing a pillow in that general direction before falling back onto her bed, furious and sobbing. It wasn't fair. Had she asked for any of this? Would it have been better if she'd never gone out to the shed that one night to read? Or maybe it had all started when she'd first met Mina her first year in Tokyo. Maybe it had been agreeing to come back to serve as a liaison between them and Xanik when… it didn't matter when, she thought despondently. Fate simply said that she was screwed, no matter the beginning event. She wanted to pin the blame on someone, something, some event that she could rationalize…

And that was simply futile. She rolled to her side, hugging a pillow to her chest. While she had never been one to wallow in self pity, this seemed like the time to indulge herself for a bit. At this point, there wasn't much else she could do.

Rini opened the door, hair still wet from the morning's shower. "Dawn? Dawn, are you in here? I saw Pu leave, and I thought you might…"

"Leave me alone." Still muffled, Dawn's voice seemed to come from the bedroom. "I HATE this. Stupid Senshi. Stupid Moon Kingdom. Stupid Crystal Key…"

Rini appeared in the doorway, immediately worried. A mountain of tissues adorned one side do the bed, Dawn's face concealed in a very large and very tearstained blue pillow. Finding a spare corner of the double bed, she gingerly sat and placed a hand on Dawn's upper back. "Stupid Pluto," she added, trying to help.

"Especially Pluto," she echoed angrily. "Why can't she let me be happy, just for once? I mean, does she really think that I'm THAT irresponsible? I know I'm in the future, I know that there's a timestream thing that I'm not supposed to mess with. Have I told anyone that I was born in 1978? No… I've kept my happy twenty-first century existence a pretty good secret." Dawn turned to face Rini, her eyes reddened and face splotched from crying. "SHE goes and tells Breandon that I'm from the past, not me. So he knows, and does he care? No… he doesn't care that I've got this Guardian thing to do, or that I'm not some tiny size six waif-like thing, or that I'm on a perpetual sarcasm kick…" Speaking rapidly, Dawn reached for yet another tissue to wipe her nose. "No, he just seems to be genuinely interested for who knows why, and hey, I'm not about to knock that, but according to her, it's not supposed to happen." She held her composure for a few seconds before her lower lip quivered and a fresh bout of tears washed over her. "It's all HER FAULT."

The Princess continued to pat Dawn, unsure of how to respond to the outburst. She knew the girl was being honest; Dawn could lie about anything except herself. It was object of her affection that made her uneasy. "Look, there's something you should know about Breandon…"

"And why in the world does everyone see the need to warn me about him?" Dawn demanded this of the ceiling rather than Rini. "It's as if no one thinks I can take care of myself."

"Well…" Rini searched for a way to delicately bring up the subject of Breandon's amorous escapades. "Let's say that it's not you we're worried about, it's him."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Rini got up, fiddling with the drawstring on her pink sweatpants. "Well, he's got this reputation…"

"I know about the reputation," Dawn replied in a caustic fashion. "It's been explained to me by several people, including Breandon himself."

"And?"

"And what?"

"And you're not bothered by that?" She ran her fingers through her wet hair. "That list covers more than a hundred people, just in the space of a year."

"I'm aware of that." The same obstinacy crept back into her voice. "He's some amazing sensual demigod of the boudoir, and poor little virginal me isn't supposed to get wrapped up in his charm and prowess."

"You mean to say that you've never had…" Rini trailed off as Dawn levelled a gaze that clearly indicated that such intimate details were not for discussion at this point in time. "Right. So, what I'm trying to say is…"

"That you don't want my dear sweet reputation sullied by some inconstant playboy?"

"Maybe in not so many big words, but that's the general idea." Arms folded across her chest, she began a slow pace about the room. It helped her think, and also avoided the chance, however slim, that Dawn might haul off and whomp her with a pillow. "Look, despite everything you've seen between me and Breandon, I respect the man as an artist. He has no equal when it comes to his designs or craftsmanship. He's immensely proud of his Senshi heritage, which also helps."

"I noticed," Dawn muttered.

"And you'd be hard pressed to find someone other than a LISA agent or full Senshi so immediately willing to defend the honour of the Moon Kingdom." She paused, idly playing with the petals of a pot of blue violets on the bureau.

"But?" Dawn prompted.

"But it's the reputation that bothers me… that, and the fact that he didn't do anything to keep Ashe from that Star Hunter crap," she added, tearing a leaf from the violets.

"That Star Hunter… you mean this goes back how many years?" Sitting up, Dawn finally noticed the pile of tissues and began to throw them into the small trashcan next to the bed.

She sat at the vanity, back to the mirror as she let her hair fall about the sides of her face. Rini fixed her eyes on her bare feet. "Five or so, I think… I don't know any more. Breandon knew Ashe because Ashe was forever sneaking into bars late at night, and Breandon would be the only one around who could carry on an intelligent conversation. Since this was right after he designed that dress for Mom, she and Jupiter didn't see any problem with Ashe hanging out with him. They actually thought that Breandon might be a good influence on him." She laughed ruefully from behind her hair before continuing. "Instead, he told Ashe to consider all of the possibilities, whereupon Ashe decided that being a Star Hunter was the way to go."

"So you blame Breandon for Ashe becoming a Star Hunter?"

"No… but I do blame him for not doing a better job of talking him out of it." Rini lifted her head and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "That's all in the past, though. Now, I'm more worried about you and what's happened between the two of you."

"Nothing I regret." She paused, considering the words. "Nope, nothing. For the first time in quite a while, everything just feels… right, I dunno." Dawn concentrated on the tissues, shooting a fadeaway from her perch. It kept her from crying, at least. "Just what are you worried about?"

"That he's going to break your heart and break your trust." She used her fingers to illustrate the dual point. "I've been through both, and take it from me, neither is a good thing."

"I've been through the first already." Another tissue banked off the side of the wall into the trash. "You see how well you fare after someone asks you to help negotiate with someone you cared for, only to find out that he's dead fifteen minutes later."

Rini bit her lip, trying to figure out how to respond. Less than two years ago, when she and Ashe had been kidnapped by Xanik and that renegade LISA agent, it had been Dawn whose face had appeared on the vidscreen to try and talk him out of using the Crystal Key. The entire ordeal had ended with Xanik dead, courtesy of Rini's, Ili's, and Eos' combined efforts. Dawn had only been able to watch and listen… and the worst part, in Rini's opinion, was that he hadn't seemed to care about Dawn one bit. "I guess so," she answered, unsure of how else to respond.

"Let's just say that it's taken a while to get over it. It's not as if I could talk about it with anyone." Tissues now gone, Dawn's voice sounded far older than her almost twenty-one years. "And it's not like I've been looking for a replacement," she sighed. "I've generally believed that boys are more trouble than they're worth."

"So why Breandon?" Rini's question hung in the air for a while, as the Guardian ran her fingers over the sunflower pattern of the dress. "He's the very definition of trouble."

Dawn opened her mouth to reply, but couldn't figure out what to say. "He's… different."

"Oh, for the love of…"

"No, not that whole sighing, doe-eyed 'different' that you're thinking," she answered. "Like, he's literally different from any other guy I've ever met, or entertained a thought about. Let's just say he's the antithesis of many Dawn Connolly fantasies of the past."

"And?"

"And…" She wondered just how much of last evening's discussion she should divulge to Rini. While she felt the need to confide in someone, Dawn wondered if Rini was really the right person for that task. "And I genuinely like him," she finished. "For lots of reasons."

"Such as?" Sceptical, the Princess frowned at her. "C'mon, gimme a reason."

"He said he liked my hair." A slow smile crept across her face and she winked at Rini. "Among other things."

"That's it?"

"No, that's all I'm going to tell you," Dawn said, getting up from the bed. "Maybe if you're nice to me later, I'll tell you more."

"Such as, where you got that dress?" The tone wavered between disapproval and girlish interest.

"I might be inclined to say something about that." She disappeared into the bathroom, humming the same melody from her walk home. Even Pluto with all of her warnings couldn't shake her good humour, she decided.

Frowning, Rini turned to her reflection, detangling her wet hair. A couple millennia, and no one could come up with a decent conditioner to prevent such self-torture…

"Dawn?" A vidscreen in the room blinked to life, Serenity visible in what appeared to be an opulent study of sorts.

"Just me, Mom. She's in the bathroom." Fighting with a snarl, she spoke to her hair instead of her mother. "What's going on?".

"Trials for the _Prometheus_," she answered with a smile. "Thought you might want to go."

That got her attention. "Trials? We get to go on ship trials?" Ecstatic, Rini bounced in her seat like a six year old.

"Thought you and Dawn might enjoy that. It's either that, or back to the Pavori with me."

"Ship trials. Definitely ship trials." The response was immediate and adamant. "I don't want to have to go back and deal with the Arronnés."

"Me either." Dawn's voice rang from the bathroom before she emerged, toothbrush hanging out of the side of her mouth. "What's this ship trial thing? Sounds interesting."

"They take the ship out, run some speed and propulsion tests, do weapons checks, and then send her home to fix the little things that go wrong during the trials." Rini turned to her mother's image on the vidscreen. "And I get to be in charge, don't I?"

"Technically." Serenity's voice held a tone of warning. "I wouldn't push your luck with this crew, though."

"That bad?" The Guardian resumed her dental hygiene activity.

"That good," the Queen corrected. "I wouldn't send you two out with anyone less than the very best, and this is it. Now, hurry up… you'll have to be on board in the next three hours."

Rini's face lit up despite her tangled hair situation. "Thanks, Mom."

"Of course, dear. See you in a week or so." The image blinked out, leaving Rini jumping from one foot to the other in childish glee while Dawn stared in shock.

"A week?" Only after she spoke did Dawn realize how whiny she sounded.

Getting up, the Princess stole a white scrunchie from the vanity and pulled her hair back. "Well, of course… we have to test everything, have time to make repairs, and actually take her out for a while. What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing." In truth, Dawn had spent the time brushing her teeth figuring out how she could get back to see Breandon in the next day or two. A few days were one thing… but a week? Already she was wondering how she'd be able to sleep alone after spending the night in his arms, warm and secure. "Just a lot of clothes to pack, that's all."

"You've got a point." Rini mused. "All right, get changed and get packed… I'll meet you in an hour."

"Your mom said three hours," she corrected.

"Fine, two hours," she sighed. "And don't you dare…"

"I know, I know. I'll use a hair dryer before leaving."


	8. Trials

Chapter Seven – Trials 

"Admiral on the bridge!" Science Officer Hoshiko Akemi noticed the Princess first, alerting the rest of the bridge. The entire group of officers snapped to attention and saluted, to which Rini responded with a similar salute and nod. Dawn hung back at the entrance, wearing her fuku and glancing about nervously. Lights, consoles, holoscreens, shiny buttons... the compartment simply glittered with technology that wouldn't be available for more than a thousand years. The thought boggled her mind and brought her to a complete contemplative standstill.

In front of the entire group.

Who were all staring at her.

Way to go, Dawn.

"As I was saying," Rini continued with a sideways glance at the Guardian. "This is Sailor Eos' replacement for the time being, also known as Dawn Connolly."

"Hey guys. 'Sup?"

The bridge went silent, save for the hum of technology that surrounded them. After a few seconds, a baritone chuckle came from the front of the room, as a guy with a sleek white ponytail muffled his laughter and extended a hand to Dawn. "Lieutenant Commander Alexandre Rambert, chief helm officer," he said by way of introduction. "But everyone around here just calls me Duke."

"Yeah, it's easier to yell across a bar," joked the woman behind him. "Lieutenant Commander Kissuiko En'youno, chief weapons and tactical officer. Call me Kis, everyone else does." Dirty blond hair kept back from her face in an intricate braid, she flashed a mischievous smile at Duke. "Or Sailor Ryujin. Whatever works when."

"Kissie, perhaps?" Their herald teased as she leaned against a chair.

Evidently, Kis didn't take kindly to the alternative nickname. "Hoshi, I swear, call me that again, and I'll have you wringing salt-water out of your skirt for weeks..."

"Only if you can catch me." She gave Dawn a playful salute, eyes shining. "Commander Hoshiko Akemi, also known as Sailor Cygni, science officer and second in command."

"Pleasure," Dawn finally managed to reply. Two other Senshi ... who didn't have to wear the fuku, she observed. Envying the dark jumpsuits, she wondered if she might be able to get a hold of one. The bridge was draughty.

"And this would be the ship's captain, Sorcerer Derrelli, prodigy and pyromaniac." As if on cue, he flashed a decidedly devilish smile and shook Dawn's hand.

"Welcome aboard the _Prometheus_, ma'am."

"Dawn," she corrected automatically, the words out of her mouth before she even realized it. "Oops. Um, sorry about that," she stammered. "I didn't mean to be rude, it's just – "

"Don't worry about it," he laughed. "We're not much for formality here. First time on a battle cruiser?"

"You could say that."

"We'll show you around once we actually get outta here." He glanced over at Duke. "When do they plan to let us out of here, anyway?"

Duke scratched his head thoughtfully. "They said something about fixing the wiring and core cooling system before we could leave, I think."

"You mean it's still not fixed?" Derrelli pulled up a three-dimensional diagram of the ship and swore under his breath. Green areas indicated systems ready, while yellow indicated testing procedures were still under way. Red meant that repairs were ongoing, and the entire engineering deck glowed scarlet. "Your Highness," he began. "Is there anything you could do about this?"

"Well, Dawn sometimes carries a whip, I'm sure she could be persuasive through some fairly original methods..." Rini avoided looking at Dawn, knowing all too well that the Guardian wouldn't find that comment too terribly amusing. "Or I could go talk to them," she offered.

"If you wouldn't mind, we'd appreciate it," Hoshi answered thankfully. "It's just Akiko down there, since the rest of her team is working on the rest of the ship, and the non-Navy engineers somehow think they can walk all over her."

Rini motioned for Dawn to follow her off the bridge and down the hallway. For the most part, she ignored the wave of saluted and breezed into the lift. "Engineering, please." The ship's AI responded accordingly, bringing them to a halt where a livid soprano voice could be heard on the other side. Doors hissed open to reveal a petite blonde gesturing angrily at a massive aqua cylinder, her words echoing off of the walls. Somehow, she reminded Dawn of an enraged cartoon pixie.

"Did you not hear the ensign the first time? The mean temperature for that cooling fluid should be 215 K, not 300 K. Keep it at 300 K, and this ship isn't going to leave until the next class of cruisers is built, equipped, and brought back for the first set of overhauls! You have specifications to follow, specifications which were brought to your attention four weeks ago and their importance reiterated earlier this week. What IS the issue here?"

"Look, Miss, I don't think you understand exactly what's going on here..." One of the group, a thirty-something man with a crooked smile and too-perfect black hair began in a condescending tone. "There's always going to be discrepancies between what fool designer put on the drawing, and what we wind up actually putting on the ship... "

"Miss?" The Princess finally spoke up after clearing her throat rather loudly. "First of all, I believe you should address her by her correct title. Lieutenant Commander Jittaino, as an officer in the Lunar Navy, is afforded that right."

"Your Highness!"

"And I believe that as chief engineer, in addition to being the lead designer for this ship class' engineering systems, she has the final say in the instalment." Rini folded her arms and glared at the quartet of engineers, all of whom managed to look slightly abashed.

"So, please make that cooling apparatus match the drawing and keep it within the specified safety limits," Akiko finished, thrusting a sheaf of blueprints at the group leader. "Four hours, tops."

"Nicely done," Rini whispered as she and Dawn accompanied Akiko to her office, whereupon the chief engineer shut the door and sank into her chair. Honey-blonde pigtails brushed her shoulders, and Dawn noticed for the first time that her fists were clenched so tight that her knuckles had become white.

"Pardon the observation," Dawn began casually, "but you're awfully tense."

Akiko closed her eyes, still smiling. "I don't enjoy arguing over something that should have been done right the first time." She exhaled softly, fingers relaxing. "And I hate fighting, just as a general rule." Now that she wasn't having to go toe to toe with anyone regarding cooling systems, Akiko's voice took on a softer and almost childlike tone.

The tallest of the trio nodded in agreement. "Oh, by the way, I'm Dawn," she said after a moment's silence.

"Akiko ... Sailor Astraea." Her eyes were still closed. "Nice to know that there are more than two Guardians around here."

She could've swore she'd heard the comment wrong. "More than two?"

"Aki-chan's a Guardian,too," Rini laughed. "A different kind, but a Guardian all the same. She and Eos worked together for a while."

"Oh." So why didn't she get this gig, Dawn wondered. "How are you and Eos related then, if you don't mind my asking."

"We're not." Akiko opened her eyes, fully relaxed. "My being a Guardian is just a coincidence, nothing more." She pushed herself to her feet and peeked out of the office. To her delight, all four had gathered about the containment unit. "Io?"

"Yes?" The _Prometheus_ AI responded in a voice that held a spark of mischief.

"What's the temperature on the core cooling unit?"

"Current temperature is 270K, and falling at an approximate rate of two degrees per second."

Akiko grinned at the news. "Now that that's taken care of, we just might be able to get under way before dinner. In the meantime, can I interest anyone in a strawberry smoothie?"

"I'm game." Dawn watched the team in the main engineering space intently, lines forming between her eyebrows as she studied the set-up with a critical eye. "Hey... did you really design the cooling system for that, um, thing?"

The chief engineering officer giggled as she led the pair out of Main Engineering Control. "More like improved on an already existing idea." She ticked off the changes on her left hand as she spoke. "A few changes to the infrastructure, introduction of a quad-vent system to funnel supercooled nitrogen in place of a dual vent set-up, and recycling the liquid run-off to prolong the life of the phosphera crystals that run the ship's AI." She gave a humble nod as a touch to a keypad opened her quarters. "I just managed to do it first, that's all."

Unable to come up with a respond to such an explanation, Dawn followed the Princess inside while Akiko made a beeline for the kitchenette. "Don't be so modest," Rini called as she unbuttoned the white suit jacket she wore. "The only other person who might have been able to come up with a remotely comparable idea is in command of the ship."

"He's an engineer, too?" Dawn began to wonder exactly what kind of crew was in charge around here.

"No, he's a tried and true hacker who has a knack for fixing things... or blowing them up," Rini finished with a wink to Akiko.

"Which isn't a part of ship trials, thankfully." Pulling a pitcher from the refrigerator and pouring three tall glasses of icy strawberry refreshment, Akiko ducked her head to hide a mile. "I'm looking forward to some ship trials where we just run the ship and take data for other people to analyse when we get back."

"Sounds... fun," Dawn lied. Hands folded in her lap, she couldn't see why Rini had been so enthused about coming.

"You'll have fun, you'll see." Rini accepted an offered smoothie and sipped, while Akiko bobbed her head in agreement.

"Bet we could get you into one of the holotraining rooms," she offered. "Or, I could give you a tour of Engineering once we get under way." Dawn's eyes lit up at the words 'tour' and 'engineering' in the same sentence, causing Akiko to laugh. "You've never seen a ship like the _Prometheus_."

"You're right," Dawn answered with a wink to Rini. "I never have."

"Approaching Vegan space. Slowing to impulse." Duke was all business as the cruiser shuddered out of warp and assumed a comparatively lazy pace.

"Captain, incoming transmission," called the ensign monitoring the communications panel.

"On-screen." Derrelli's face showed slight shock and pleasant surprise as Lady Jupiter's image appeared. "Lady Jupiter, to what do we owe this?"

"I wanted to be the first to welcome the _Prometheus_ on her maiden voyage, of course," she replied merrily. "Everything going all right so far?"

"Yes, ma'am." Behind him, the Princess made a muffled comment about worried mothers that sent the rest of the bridge into hidden smiles and suppressed laughter. Derrelli grinned, keeping his eyes on the screen. "Again, thank you for letting us use the area for ship trials."

"Just don't blow anything up, dear." With that motherly piece of advice, she disappeared from the screen. At that point, the officers and crew erupted in a chorus of raucous laughter, with Duke doubled over in hysterics while tears streamed down Hoshi's face.

"Worried about us, ya think?" Duke righted himself in his chair, still snickering.

"Hey, they just don't want to see a wave of flame rippling across Vegan space courtesy of Pyro here," Hoshi retorted, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.

Derrelli shook his head. "No faith, any of you," he chuckled. "Why does everyone assume that something's going to erupt in flames when I'm around?"

"Because we know you," Hoshi teased. "And fire always comes into play, sooner or later."

While the captain grumbled good-naturedly, Dawn stifled yet another yawn and fought to keep her eyes open. She'd been given the relatively simple task of monitoring the nitrogen levels in the reactor core. Not having changed out of her fuku, she felt decidedly chilly. To make matters worse, it was the cold temperature on the bridge that was making her sleepy. Dinner had happened some time ago, and she hadn't thought at the time to ask about coffee. Tapping her fingers on the console, her thought drifted to the night before in Greynn's, and the fight with that woman… Kali, that's it… who had said she wanted to take Breandon in on contract. That made absolutely no sense…

"Shift change," Kissuiko announced, kicking her feet up on the console. "Captain, your call. Who gets first watch?"

"You do, of course." Derrelli stood, motioning to Hoshi and Duke. "We have to test the holotraining modules."

"What?" Kis' black boots hit the floor in protest. "C'mon, I was all ready to try out a surf scenario. You three, you're gonna – "

"Blow something up?" He gave her a thumbs-up, which prompted a grumble. "Of course. I loaded the newest version of Youma Siege into the holotraining module while we waited on Engineering earlier."

Kis glanced helplessly at Hoshi, who stood at the entryway. "Can't you keep him from doing that?"

Hoshi grinned broadly as Duke hurried past her. "Why would I want to? Youma Siege is one of my favourites. Weapons officer has the bridge," she called over her shoulder on the way out.

"Impossible," Kis muttered as the pair left, with two ensigns hurrying in to replace stations at the helm and at the science officer's console. "What about you?" she called to Dawn. "You a fellow destruction loving freak, or do you have some degree of sanity?"

Dawn's chin slid off her hand, the abrupt motion jerking her to consciousness. "Wha…um, sorry. What did you say?"

"Do you derive a sick and twisted pleasure from pyrotechnic-induced mayhem?" Feet back on the console, she undid the first two buttons on her collar. "If so, you picked the right ship."

Dawn shook her head, too tired to really laugh. "Nope. No fire tendencies. You?"

"Nah. Not my style." She swivelled around to check on the Princess, who had dozed off in her chair and was snoring softly. "Your Highness?"

When Rini didn't immediately answer, Dawn got to her feet and stretched languidly before nudging her shoulder. "Wake up, dear," she whispered. "Your adoring public awaits."

"My adoring public?" She wiped the corner of her mouth in a decidedly un-royal fashion and righted herself. "We're on the bridge, there's just..." Rini finally noticed that the majority of the officers had left. "Shift change?"

"Yes ma'am," Kissuiko answered. "Holotraining module tests demanded attention."

"Of course," she mused, eyelids heavy with want for sleep. "If no one needs me, I'm going to find my quarters and get some rest. Dawn?"

The Guardian checked the console, which brought a snicker from the weapons officer. "Those are pretty constant readings, sweetie," Kis called. "We just wanted to give you something to do so you wouldn't be bored."

Dawn's expression flickered from fatigue to annoyance, then back to fatigue. "Right," she muttered. "Then I think I might go and catch a few winks for now."

Kissuiko stood and saluted smartly as the pair left the bridge, then sank back into her chair. Despite what she'd heard at the spaceport from some of the guys who put in time on Palace guard, the Dawn chick wasn't too bad. Definitely cute, and she filled out that Guardian fuku nicely... she sighed and idly twirled a few strands of hair between her fingers. If all of the gossip was true, then she'd fallen into Rainault's lap and was currently out of reach for Kis' own endeavours. That would definitely be worth a conversation at some later point in time, she thought to herself. Content to watch the stars and drift among the moons of the Vegan Empire, Kissuiko bummed a cup of coffee from a passing ensign and settled in for another six hours on watch.

"Maybe this isn't all that bad," Dawn said aloud as the shuttle Hoshi piloted zipped out into the expanse of space. She'd finally acquired a standard issue Lunar Navy jumpsuit. which made her "on duty" time far more comfortable. The first morning, she'd finally realized that there was more than just the professional relationship between the captain and his science officer. Part of her thought it was rather cute, especially the little kiss Hoshi had planted on Derrelli's cheek before getting into the shuttle.

And part of her thought that it just made her miss Breandon a little bit more than she'd expected.

"Glad we can entertain you," Hoshi replied. "Mind pulling up the ship signature readout for us?"

Dawn's gloved fingers nimbly flew over the crystalline console, her efforts rewarded with a holographic image of the _Prometheus_. Grinning broadly, she waited for the next request. "That's what you wanted?"

"Exactly. Guess spending the morning with Akiko helped?" She brought up a secondary layout that illustrated the different signatures of the ship systems. Weapons, engines, vibrations, even the light that shown through the tiny windows throughout the ship, they could all be used to identify the _Prometheus_. It was the job of the cloaking system to disguise and conceal such critical information from passing vessels, tracking posts, and possibly unfriendly fleets that would not need to know that one of Serenity's ships was in their midst.

"Yeah, she taught me how to pull up maps, open a comm channel, and even make coffee." She passed one cup over to Hoshi and winked. "Not just a pretty shadow."

"Clearly not," the dark haired Senshi agreed, accepting the coffee and sipping. "Not bad... hang on. We've got to get a little bit further from the ship." A wicked glint in her eye, she set the coffee aside and gripped the controls, sending the shuttle into a graceful spiral. Dawn clutched at her cup, eyes focused on the console rather than the front window. Hoshi's face showed pure delight; her passenger's expression wavered between fright and nausea.

"Commander?" Derrelli's voice came through the comm system. "Range acquired... you can stop terrorizing the Guardian with your flying skills now."

"Acknowledged." She righted the shuttle and brought it to a lazy drift. Next to her, Dawn managed to open one eye and let go of the console. "You okay?" she asked, holding back the urge to laugh.

"I'll let you know once my stomach settles," Dawn replied, sarcasm oozing despite the recent interstellar acrobatics. Sipping her coffee to soothe her nerves, she finally managed to look out the front window. The _Prometheus_, against the backdrop of one of Vega's smaller uninhabited planets, seemed quiet, picturesque even.

And then, it simply shimmered out of existence. Hoshi winked at Dawn, who squinted at the window."She's still there, just invisible. Cloaking routines at their finest."

"See anything, Commander?" Duke called.

"That's a negative, Rambert. Nothing but space." She tapped the console in front of Dawn. "Right here, this shows our proximity to any other vessel out there. We measure it exponentially, and this," she continued, finger now on a scale of lights, "is what's used for close range."

Dawn's eyebrows furrowed as she drank her coffee and studied the controls. "And it's on?"

"Yep."

"But it says here that the nearest ship is..." Dawn paused, translating log scales in her head. "One hundred twenty six thousand kilometres away." She indicated a Vegan patrol fighter in a figure eight patter about the nearest moon and a collection of what Dawn would have termed tiny asteroids.

The science officer beamed, pleased at the quickness of her "student." "Very good. Now, watch this. Duke?"

"Ma'am?"

"Decloak to test proximity." She could hear the rest of the bridge snickering in the background.

"Aye, Commander. Decloaking in four, three, two, and..."

"DAMN IT, DUKE!" Now it was Hoshi's turn to jump back and curse. In front of them, Rini waved from the bridge, the window barely twenty meters from the tiny shuttle. Proximity alarms whistled throughout the bridge as Dawn burst out laughing, thoroughly delighted with the display.

"Boo," came Derrelli's voice over the comm.

"'S not funny," Hoshi muttered to herself.

"Is so. Now, head off again... and this time, we won't sneak up on you." The comm clicked off, and Hoshi brought the shuttle about before streaking past the patrolled moon, while the now-visible _Prometheus_ headed in the opposite direction.

"Now what?" Dawn eyed the holographic readout of the ship as parts of the lowers levels flickered, the shuttle picking up on the encrypted signals and translating them as programmed.

Hoshi slowed the shuttle, then kicked back in her chair with the coffee. "Weapons tests... don't worry, it's not target practice," she added as Dawn's face registered worry. "This is us merely monitoring and recording output as they go through the subroutines."

"Oh."

"And it'll take about thirty minutes," Hoshi continued, beginning the recording. "So, you're filling in for Eos, huh?" Dawn nodded in reply. "Whatcha think of the job so far?"

"Not bad. Better than going to class, most days."

"Oh, you're in school?" Dark eyes showed interest. "Doing what?"

Shit, she thought. Yet another thing to make her seem out of place. "Uh, engineering. Third year." Dawn pulled down one of the shorter strands of hair that had worked its way loose from the French braid and twisted it about her finger. "You?"

Hoshi shook her head. "Finished a while back. My PhD's in archaeology, but it's the Senshi background that keeps me here."

"It does explain the science officer bit, though," Dawn mused over the rim of her coffee cup. A handful of minutes slipped by in silence, before Dawn decided that she should at least try to busy herself with something. She checked the holographic readout, and noticed an orange blip that hadn't been there before. "Um, Hoshi?"

"Yeah?"

"What's that?"

"Good question." Now sitting up straight, she cracked her neck and yawned. "Know how to open a hailing channel?" Dawn grinned in reply. "Ask 'em, then."

Obediently, the Guardian brought up the correct frequency and flipped the microphone on. "This is..." She searched for an appropriate title. "Lieutenant Dawn Connolly of the Lunar Navy. Please state your intentions."

Please, Hoshi mouthed. Dawn shrugged helplessly; she'd had her mother's Southern manners drilled into her for far too long.

"Girlie, you're the only Lunar thing out here," a nasty gravelly voice came back in reply. "Don't get all cocky and official with us."

"And who might you be?"

A trio of mercenary fighters zipped past the front of the shuttle while a fourth came up on the starboard side. "Someone you don't wanna piss off, sweetcheeks. Could be your friend, though, if you're interested."

"Sorry, babe. I've already got my own special friends." She winked at Hoshi, who motioned for her to keep stalling as she fiddled with the constantly updating diagram of the _Prometheus_. "Does your momma know you're out here threatening nice girls instead of playing ball with the boys back home?"

"Don't get smart with us, girl. This ain't Lunar space, so none of Serenity's ships are gonna save you if your mouth gets you into trouble."

"Save me from what?" Hoshi gave Dawn a thumbs-up; the girl was pretty resourceful for a new recruit. "Y'all don't mean to attack li'l ol' me?"

"Well, you sound like you'd be more fun alive than dead," the voice came back. "You'd be worth quite a lot on the slave market."

Dawn's eyes widened at the term "slave market," but she kept talking while Hoshi took over the controls in front of her. "Really? I'd be worth money? But I'm barely twenty-one, with long auburn hair, big brown doe eyes, and these perfect rose pink lips that would send even the roughest toughest merc pilot such as yourself to his knees in a heartbeat." Her voice slowed at the end, the last words uttered breathily with a slight moan at the end.

An audible gulp and sigh came through, sending both Dawn and Hoshi into fits of laughter that they quickly hid in their hands. "Maybe, well, uh, we'll just see about keeping you for ourselves," the reply finally came back.

"Actually, we'd like to keep her for ourselves." Derrelli's voice resonated through both the shuttle and the merc fighter in question. "Why don't you boys run along and find another pretty girl to kick your ass?"

"Says who?" According to the console, the _Prometheus_ was nowhere to be found, despite the transmission. "You got someone else on that shuttle, girlie?

A white-orange streak shot out of nowhere, expertly grazing the bow of the lead fighter. "Says me. Back off, boys," Kis barked from her station. "That shuttle's property of the Lunar Navy. Your sorry carcasses will be, too, if you don't turn around and leave my girl alone."

The offending pilot responded by targeting the shuttle with a low-level pulse that brought the shields down. "Not likely," he snarled. "Unless you cowards see fit to show yourselves, I think we'll take her with us."

"Oh, that's it," Kis snapped, leaping to her feet. "Captain, permission to fry this arrogant sonuvabitch with the TPA?"

Derrelli shook his head. "Not now. We'll just use the regular plasma shots." Showing only a fraction of his concern, he called down to Engineering. "Akiko?"

"Yes, Captain?"

"What's the status on the tractor beam? We're gonna have to tow Hoshi and Dawn in," he answered.

A pause, then a confident reply. "Two minutes and it should be completely charged."

"Good to hear." Derrelli slowly shook his head at Kis, whose fingers literally itched with the want to use the _Prometheus_' most powerful weapon on the quartet of fighters. "Not now, Kis. Easy."

She sat back, scowling darkly at him. "First Youma Siege over surfing, now this. You're getting to be no fun at all, Pyro."

He shook his head before re-establishing communication with the merc fighter pilot. "You sure about that fight challenge?"

"For the love of... OW!" Hoshi jumped back as sparks flew from the console with a second volley from the fighter behind them. With communications now off-line and shields down, she could do little but grit her teeth and cradle her burnt left hand.

Dawn caught her as she stumbled backwards, the two of them landing on the floor. Dawn broke the fall for both of them, her posterior providing a meagre cushion. Wincing, she turned to Hoshi. "You gonna be okay?"

"Sure, once I get to sick bay. This friggin' hurts..." She bit her lip. "Those guys had better do something soon. I don't think those mercs wanna play with you any more." The shuttle lurched as the tractor beam locked on, pulling them closer to the position of the still-cloaked _Prometheus_.

Having witnessed the second attack on the shuttle, an enraged Derrelli signalled to the weapons officer. "To hell with 'em, Kis. Go for it."

"Damn straight, sir." Sliding into the TPA, she fitted both hands into the device. Created less than five years ago, the TPA allowed for Senshi and Sorcerers to magnify their own attacks, drawing upon the weapons power of the ship as well as their own abilities. For their captain, it would have meant a wave of flame; in Sailor Ryujin's case, it meant one very nasty and deadly water dragon.

"TPA powered," Akiko's voice sounded over the bridge.

"And this is why you don't fuck with the Lunar Navy, boys. Tidal Dragon STRIKE!" Kissuiko's voice resonated as the exterior plasma nodes of the _Prometheus_ began to glow a bright indigo, silver sparks growing to encase the bulging energies. In a split second, they shot ahead of the ship to form the semblance of an enormous water dragon, scales undulating with white-hot plasma as it streaked towards the offending fighters. With deadly accuracy, Ryujin's attack avoided the shuttle entirely, coming up underneath the targeted spacecraft and piercing the metal in a shower of silver fire. A capsule ejected from the fighter, escaping with the other three.

"See ya later, boys!" Kis crowed from the TPA. "Come back soon and play, if you ever feel like it."

Derrelli laughed while she continued to gloat. "How's the retrieval going, Akiko?"

"They're in sick bay, sir," she answered. "Bumps and bruises, nothing serious. Going there right now."

"On my way. Kis, you've got the bridge.

Four days out in deep space were beginning to wear on Dawn. There was only so much Akiko could have her do in Engineering with systems testing or monitoring core coolant output. Dawn was, for all intensive purposes, bored. Bored with recording numbers and watching readouts. Rini had been perfectly content to sit on the bridge and gaze out at the stars with a sort of dreamy wistfulness. That had driven Dawn nuts after a grand total of fifteen minutes. She'd spent the morning walking about the ship in jeans and a tank top, simply nosing about as her CD player wailed Aerosmith through the headphones. A quick trip back to her quarters for a snack and a wasted attempt at a nap, and then, more wandering about the ship. She knew that the batteries would wear out sooner or later, and Steven Tyler would be silenced until she managed to get back to school.

That seemed such a far away reality at the moment. It'd be at least a month before Eos could think about getting around on her own, much less try to follow Rini on a day to day basis. So, two months... maybe three. By then, she'd have lost the entire semester. That would mean that she and Breandon would have been together for...

"Damn, you think that hard all the time?" Kissuiko stood in the hallway, wet blonde hair caught back in twin braids and a white bandanna. Ragged shorts and a beat up hooded sweatshirt were complimented by flip-flops that had probably seen better days. "C'mon, let's get you a drink."

Not in the mood to protest, Dawn followed the now-incredibly casual weapons officer to the main galley. Her CD player in hand and headphones hanging about her neck, she stopped just inside the door, eyeing the half-full room warily. Kis noticed this and chuckled. "What?" Dawn wriggled the end of her nose, the aroma of coffee waking her senses. "And what do you mean by drink, anyway?"

"My, my... somebody's awfully suspicious," Kis teased. "Chip on your shoulder, baby girl? You can have just water, if that's what you'd want." She blew a kiss to the ensign behind the counter, who slid a beer her way in return.

"I'd go for a coffee, actually." Once she had her mug, she followed Kis to an out of the way table near a corner window. Sinking in the chair, Dawn wrapped her fingers around the base of the coffee cup and sighed.

Kis laughed again. "Well, aren't we the unhappy little girl? You don't like ship trials?"

Realizing how unpleasant she must have appeared, Dawn forced a somewhat happier expression on her face. "Oh, they're not bad," she lied. "I just feel kind of useless."

The blonde woman nodded sagely. "Yeah, watching someone stare out of a window all day can't be all that exciting." Feet up on a chair, she knocked back a third of her lager and set the bottle back on the table. "Aw, hell. I'm lousy at small talk..."

"Same here."

"...So I'll just get to the point." Another pull on her drink, and she pointed the bottle at Dawn as she spoke. "Rumour around the palace is that you've got a certain clothing designer who's been seen in your company on a number of occasions, and that you got back quite late from a night out. There's been some talk, baby girl... I just want to know what's true and what's not."

Dawn blinked, fighting for a coherent reply. "I, um, well, he's... we've, um..."

"Three possibilities, hon. One, you're one of his groupies and that late night was a wild and torrid exploration of Bren's bedroom prowess. Two, you're a client who's getting a dress made, who just happened to stay a little too late. Three, you've managed to seduce him and have therefore gained the upper hand on the most notorious of bachelors in the Lunar kingdom." She flipped a blonde braid over her shoulder before leaning back. "Which is it?"

"It's most certainly not the first two," she retorted, defences completely up. Her relationship – could she really call it that – with Breandon was not meant for gossip, and most certainly not at this level. "And as for being lousy at small talk – "

Kis reached over and put a hand on Dawn's wrist. "Easy, baby girl. Bren's a friend of mine... and I've been known to ask for a dress or two every so often. I'm not out for blood, just honesty." Dawn frowned down at the swirls of cream in her coffee. "Although... I've always wondered... is he really as fantastic as his reputation claims him to be?"

Dawn's head snapped up. Even Rini had tact; this woman was teetering on the brink of downright rudeness. Well, she could do the same thing. "Why, jealous?"

The snooty comeback sent Kis into a fit of laughter and table-pounding. "Oh, hell no..." she choked out. "You're so far from the truth..." Swallowing, she leaned closer to Dawn with a flirtatious smile. "Breandon's a little too scrawny, a little too formal, and most importantly, a little too male for my tastes."

Kis' explanation sunk in slowly, Dawn feeling like a fool. "Oh. I, um, see."

"So 'm I," she winked, leaning back and patting Dawn's hand. "If he hadn't gotten to you first, then I might have been inclined to show you a far more exciting time on trials."

Her reaction ill-hidden by her coffee mug, Dawn supposed she should be flattered. "Aha. Well... thanks, I guess."

"Don't mention it. So, about Breandon ..." She tapped short but well-kept fingernails against the table. "You know you're like, the envy of every social snot between fifteen and fifty, right?" Dawn shook her head. "I have it on the best authority that you're causing thousand of women to cry themselves to sleep at night."

To Kis' surprise, Dawn simply shrugged. Other women might have taken the chance to gloat over their new-found social status; Dawn seemed embarrassed by it.. "Right. So, what's your warning on him?"

"Warning?"

"That I'll just be another one-night stand, that he's trouble, that I shouldn't be distracted. that sort of thing." She waved a hand to emphasize that more existed. "C'mon, I'm collecting."

"Oh, Dawn." It came out in a motherly tone. "Hon, I'm not gonna say anything like that."

The most grateful of smiles came over Dawn's face, and she immediately let down her defences towards Kis. "Really?"

The blonde nodded, patting her hand. "Yep, I like ya... you're real. You're not fake like the others he's brought home." She frowned slightly. "You do know about..."

"Yeah. It's been mentioned. Often. By him and others."

"And?"

She sighed. "Part of who he is. I'll accept it."

This evening, it was Duke's turn to have the bridge. Next to him, Akiko had curled up with a book on Terran mythology. Their dinner plans pre-empted by Duke's mandatory shift, Akiko was content to pass the time in silence.

Unfortunately, Duke saw fit to distract the petite blonde with a carefully aimed wad of paper that bounced off of the end of her nose. "Thought you were here to keep me company."

She lifted her head, amusement in her eyes. "Monsieur Rambert," she began in one of her favourite Terran languages, "t'es si méchant ce soir."

"I am not being mean," he protested, having known Akiko long enough to recognize the simple playful phrase. "You're just being boring."

She sighed and closed her book, her thumb marking her page. "And is it my fault you asked me to dinner, forgetting that you had first shift tonight?" Duke grumbled in reply, to which Akiko giggled. "Oh, stop. It's okay, I'm just teasing you." Setting her book on the seat, she circled the chair and placed both hands on Duke's shoulders.

"What, you think that some innocent backrub is going to make up for teasing me?" Grumpy for lack of dinner, the Sycoraxi folded his arms across his chest.

"Oui." Two small hands began a slow massage on either side of his neck, a knowing smile gracing her lips. "I know you, remember?"

"Mm-hmm." Weakness revealed, Duke relaxed and observed the main screen as the neckrub worked out the day's knots and kinks sustained from hours at navigation control. He'd offered to return the favour once before, but it wasn't his fault that he had an overly ticklish girlfriend. Akiko's carefully trained eyes checked the console to her left as she pressed her thumb into a particularly tight muscle. Even though she had left Engineering in the care of her hand-picked team, it didn't keep her from checking in every so often. All readings in perfect order, she turned her attentions back to Duke.

"Lemme get this straight." Kis was on her third beer, Dawn enjoying a second cup of coffee. "You got rid of the Arronné girl by posing as a dominatrix?"

"Leather fuku and everything," she snickered.

Kis clapped and hooted. "Atta girl," she chortled. "I like your style, hon. What're you doing after your gig with the Princess is finished?"

"Well, I'm not entirely…"

"'Cause I'd have you on my ship like _that_." She snapped her fingers for emphasis. "Of course, that means I'll need to make Commander first, but…"

The entire ship heaved, sending platters of food and drink flying. People lost footing and slid out of chairs, Dawn landing in an ungraceful heap at Kis' feet. Alarms rang throughout the ship, and Dawn felt herself hauled up by the back of her shirt.

"C'mon, baby girl," Kis barked. "We got problems. Io?"

"Yes, Lieuten – "

"Where's the Princess?"

A slight pause. "Princess Serenity is attempting to leave her personal quarters."

"Engage lockdown, authorization Ryujin four one eight two five." Grabbing Dawn's arm, she pulled her into the nearest lift. "She'll be pissed as anything, but she's gotta stay put."

Dawn extracted her arm from Kis' grip and rubbed the reddened skin. "She's not gonna like that, but hey, you're in charge of that sort of thing."

"Damn straight." Kis ran out of the lift onto the bridge. "I've got security and weapons detail, so Pyro'll have to override me if she wants out." Motioning for Dawn to follow, she slid into Hoshi's seat at the science console. "Duke, she okay?"

He nodded, holding the sleeve of his uniform to Akiko's forehead. Blood from a nasty gash above her eye stained the fabric, but she was conscious. "Yeah, it'll stop in a bit." He grimaced at the holoscreen, which showed a pair of souped-up freighters outfitted with plasma weaponry and heavy exterior plating. Half the size of the _Prometheus_, they flanked the battle cruiser and targeted another salvo at the lower decks. Shields holding, the ship shuddered under the dual impact. Derrelli ran in, uniform scorched along his upper back and shredded from shoulder to wrist.

"Status?" He took Duke's usual seat, re-routing systems to compensate for additional propulsion. "Kis, shields working?"

"For now." Keying in commands furiously, she brought forcefields around a damaged cargo bay. "Dawn, open a comm. channel. That console, there," she pointed. "Find out what those bastards are doing."

Duke propped Akiko against the side of the compartment before trading places with Derrelli. "Evasive manoeuvres," the captain instructed. "Get us out of range. Dawn?"

She looked up frantically, fingers on the console. "They're not responding… or I'm not doing it right…"

"Or there's no power to the exterior communications grid," her answered as Kis fired a round in self-defence. The _Prometheus_ lurched forward, Duke able to guide the crippled ship to open space and bring her about.

"Re-routing power to communications grid." Akiko had pulled herself up to lean against a chair so she could manage power distribution from the bridge.

"Hail 'em, Dawn," Derrelli instructed. "Let's see if they'll talk."

Praying silently that she wouldn't mess up, she keyed in the appropriate commands and tried to think what one of Gene Roddenberry's cool, calm, and collected heroines would have said. "This is Sailor Eos of the Lunar battle cruiser _Prometheus_. What the hell's going on around here?"

"You're far from home, and we need replacement parts." The image of a grizzled red-skinned man appeared on the screen. "Lower shields and prepare to be boarded."

"This is Captain Derrelli, and I'll be damned if you're going to board my ship," he snarled.

"Then jettison your core system and we'll be on our way," the other captain replied.

"Can't do that."

An ugly laugh served as the sole reply before the screen went blank. "Then we'll do it the hard way." Another explosion threw Kis to the floor, the weapons console smoking. Akiko rushed over, pulling the dazed Senshi away from her post.

"Io? Engineering status?"

"Engineering core is off-line. Shield integrity at fifty-two percent and falling. Ruptures on decks nine, eleven, twelve, and fifteen. Cargo bay has been sealed off due to coolant least. Plasma weaponry is off-line."

"Cloaking?" She managed to sit Kis up.

"Cloaking subroutines are off-line." A pause, and Io spoke again. "Commander Akemi is requesting override of Ryujin four – "

"Permission granted," Derrelli snapped. "Duke, propulsion?"

"Not responding. She's sluggish," he called. "RIFT system is completely fried. I can bring her underneath one of the freighters to buy some time…"

"Do what you have to do," Derrelli nodded. "I trust ya. Wouldn't have you here if I didn't." The ship swung hard to starboard, sensors shrieking as the _Prometheus_ passed within meters of the enemy ship. "Io? TPA status?"

"TPA is functional, but must be charged. Power currently routed to secondary weaponry is insufficient to enable TPA console."

A fist slammed into the side of the chair. "Fuck. Io, send distress signal to Vegan patrols in area, reroute power to shields, and seal off engineering."

"Pyro!" Kis pointed a hand at Dawn. "Put her in the TPA. Let her feed off of what they're throwing at us."

He frowned at the terrified young woman. "Guardian, right? Like Akiko?"

"Yeah," she squeaked, hurrying to the chair next to Duke. "I mean, I think so…"

"Just do what he says, baby girl," Kis interrupted.

"Hands here," he began, tapping the polymer sleeves. "Hold this… and this…" He waited as her fingers closed about the bars within the TPA. Chest pressed to the console, she swallowed hard. "This amplifies your Senshi abilities, and allows you to use the ship to target. Got it?" She nodded again. "All right. Io, bring shields down once Duke brings us up between those freighters." He turned at the hiss of the bridge doors, Rini following Hoshi inside.

"Status?" Rini stepped over glass and metal to look over Kis' shoulders.

"We're fucked at the moment, your Highness." Not one to waste words, Kis rerouted power to port shields as they swung out from beneath the freighter. "Sound alarms and brace for impact!"

As the rest of the crew on the bridge clung to whatever was convenient, Dawn squeezed her eyes shut tightly. Palms sweating, she tightened her grip inside the TPA and swallowed hard, her mouth dry. This thing amplified Senshi powers, it wouldn't be anything she hadn't done be…

Oh, shit. They're going to fire on the…

The forward half of the _Prometheus_ erupted in a wave of blue and white plasma as both freighters unleashed full spreads of torpedoes on the cruiser. Metal groaned as the plasma coursed through it, finding the shortest paths to the TPA circuitry. White hot sparks rained from above, panels bursting into flame due to sheer overload. In a flash of rose-tinged light, the TPA sprang to life. Dawn cried out in both surprise and pain at the massive energy influx. The metal bars to which she clung glowed bright with heat, searing the skin on both palms. Still, she hung on, allowing herself to channel the energies absorbed via the ship.

A lavender mist had begun to gather about Dawn's figure, density increasing each second she allowed the charge to build. Her breathing shallow and rapid, she broke out in a cold sweat. The TPA began to hum, first with a single low tone, then growing louder as multiple harmonics resonated in the tiny space. Rini clapped her hands over her ears. Others on the bridge did the same, wincing at both noise and the visible energy flux. The cacophony drowned out Dawn's whimpering as she struggled to hold on to the charge.

"TPA charged and ready for imple – , imple – , imple – " An arc of violet plasma escaped the console, catching Dawn in her shoulder. She shrieked, back arched and blood streaming down her arm. Hands spasmed, and the Guardian unleashed the torrent of pent-up energy through the ship's systems. A rose and lavender aura surrounded the _Prometheus_, blinding light encasing the embattled cruiser. The aura pulsed once, light fading slightly before shooting outwards violently in a rapidly growing sphere of superheated plasma and debris. The ship's plating threatened to tear under the combined stresses, but the ship's AI compensated with carefully placed forcefields to keep the _Prometheus_ in one piece.

The same structural integrity didn't apply to the two freighters. Dawn's amplified attack encountered the exterior weapons systems, the torpedo tubes collapsing and detonating their charged payloads. The plasma orb continued to press outwards, forcing the hull of the port side ship to cave in and expose the lower decks. The crippled ship attempted to turn, but that only allowed the untouched areas to experience the unforgiving attack that Dawn continued to channel. Its sister ship also turned, but managed to manoeuvre itself out of the attack radius. Engaging a fractured warp drive, it lurched into deep space. In its wake lay the remains of the other freighter, and the still-glowing SLS _Prometheus_.

It took Duke and Kis to carry Dawn's unconscious figure to sick bay. Rini and Hoshi remained on the bridge as their captain was needed in Engineering. The task of nurse fell to the petite blonde, whose own injuries were minor in comparison to Dawn's.

"Get her out of those clothes," Akiko instructed, handing Kis a pair of scissors. "Find me the thermal wraps, Duke. She might go into shock if we're not careful." Uncapping a tube of salve, she began to coat Dawn's hands and forearms.

Carefully, Kis peeled away Dawn's burnt clothing and ran her fingers lightly over the injured shoulder. A horrendous plasma burn stretched from one elbow to the centre of her back, a field of blisters rising over her entire upper body. "Damn," she breathed. "Aki-chan, we're gonna need a lot more of that stuff."

Emerging from the med supply closet with a bag of thermal bandage, Duke stopped at the sight of Kis cutting through the fabric of Dawn's jeans. Turning, he dropped the bag on the counter. "I'll be outside, if you need me…"

Both women nodded, too busy with their patient to notice his embarrassment at the nearly naked Guardian. As the doors shut, Dawn's expression darkened and she began crying softly. Akiko patted her forehead gently while Kis ripped open the bag of bandages and began to wrap Dawn's torso.

"I can't feel my fingers," she moaned softly, eyes struggling to open. "Or my arms, or my shoulders…"

Akiko gently lifted Dawn's gel-covered hand so she could see. "It's the medicine working. It's helping to heal the burnt tissue, so it numbs your nerve endings. You'll feel better once we get the thermal wraps on you."

"And you get some rest," Kis added. "Good job, baby girl, although I think you might have fried my TPA." Before the apology could be made, Kis rushed ahead. "Just means another post-trial repair, and we've got too many for one more to make a difference. Nothing to be sorry for."

Dawn managed a woozy nod before Akiko pressed a hypospray to her neck. "This'll help you sleep," she explained soothingly. "You'll feel better in the morning."


	9. Digression Palace

Digression – Palace 

Breandon ran a length of fabric through his hands, noticing the pure, cool feel against his skin. The colouring was amazing, a water-coloured medium blue that looked like sun on waves. He closed his eyes, rubbing a swatch between his fingers, and pictured the dress he could make from this fabric ... that commission from Lady Neptune's daughter, perhaps. It would suit her light colouring perfectly.

His smile acquired a wry cast as the pictured model took on red hair and a more developed body. Opening his eyes, he dismissed the image. Time and enough to seek Dawn out later – for now, his reputation was on the line. He looked at Inigo. "How much are you going to name this worth?"

The other man, a throwback to the old Latino type, looked at the fabric. "It's good quality, you know. I couldn't possibly ask less than 450 imperiums."

Breandon clapped his hand to his chest. "You'll beggar me! Two hundred."

"Now it is you who will beggar me! Have a heart, my friend! 375, and no lower will I go."

"Surely someone else on the Row has this fabric, and will not ask an arm and a leg for it. I should go see." Breandon grinned slyly at Inigo.

Inigo shook his dark head. "You'll not find its like elsewhere, and in this I tell you true."

The bargaining session went on for some minutes further, attended by much dramaticism on the part of both men. Inigo clutched at his hair, and once Breandon made as to walk out, but at last they settled on a price that suited both and parted with a handclasp.

Breandon meandered his way home through the Row, nodding benevolently at his many acquaintances. The precious fabric was clutched tightly in his arms, and his head whirled with new designs. Unlocking the shop, he rested his package on a table and checked the mail.

A'ishah D'Telourme swept into the shop, trailing bodyguards and servants like a train. Breandon attempted to keep his face straight. A'ishah was a good patron, despite the airs, and easy to please.

Usually.

She looked down her elegantly snubbed nose at him, dismissing the servants. "What's this I hear about a new paramour, Bren?"

"I might have known you would be the first to hear about that," he admitted. He flipped through a few sketchbooks, looking for a particular design. "Here, will this suit your tastes this week?"

"That's LOVELY, Bren. You know I always love your designs. But tell me about this girl! They say she's awfully flirtatious, and cocky." A'ishah turned her dark eyes on Breandon, who smiled peacefully.

"Your sources would be right."

She turned swatches of fabric over in her long fingers. "Are you sure you want to get involved with someone like that? Summer says – "

"Summer can say anything she likes," Breandon interrupted.

A'ishah was not to be stopped. "She said that you were going to propose to this girl, this Dawn!"

"I might, at that." Breandon looked up at A'ishah through his lashes. "What of it?"

"Bren, she's not your type."

Anger began to snap in peridot-green eyes. "Because you bedded me once, you may pass judgement on what other women I choose to pass my time with? I don't think so, A'ishah. I appreciate your custom, but not your meddling."

She laughed, a sound like bells. "Be easy, Bren." A tapping fingernail, lacquered in shades reminiscent of mother-of-pearl, punctuated her statements. "It wouldn't matter if you were just bedding her, Bren. But Winter backed her sister up on this: you're serious, and I'm worried."

Breandon looked at her for a long moment, then burst out laughing. "Only you, A'ishah, could make that sound so ... "

"Solicitous?"

"Yes."

She covered his hand with her own, looking mournful. "If it's just the bedding you want ... "

He pulled away. "No."

"But, Bren!"

"No. I've made my wishes clear enough, I think, my lady."

She knew what the sudden formality meant. "As you will, Breandon. Just ... don't neglect the rest of us?"

He softened. "My friendships aren't to be affected. I'll have that dress for you before the start of the holiday season."

She nodded. The bell chimed on her way out.

* * *

An almighty thudding on the door woke Breandon up. He fought his way free of navy blue sheets and a delicious dream of Dawn and stumbled to the door. Kieran leered back at him.

Intelligently, Breandon said, "Wuh?"

"GOOD MORNING!"

Breandon slumped against the door frame. "Is there a reason you're being so damned cheerful?"

"The sun is shining, the guards are being nice, and you wanted a friend to go with you to drop off that dress!" Kieran's smile was absolutely dazzling.

Heaving a sigh, Breandon turned to let his friend in and get dressed.

Breandon cradled the package in his arms like a child, jealously guarding it from the view of passers-by. Kieran loomed over him in a big flapping white labcoat, striding along with a big smile. Breandon's romance with Dawn amused him tremendously. The oddly-assorted pair traversed the busy streets of Neo Crystal Tokyo slowly, constantly greeting and chatting with various people, but each one, upon noticing Breandon's package, smiled widely and departed.

Thus their passage was, in fact, faster than such travel usually is on a busy Saturday noon in the capital city of a stellar empire.

Breandon hesitated at the foot of the steps leading upward to the Palace. The nerves, which he'd fought for nearly a week, since Dawn had departed on the ship trials, came back in full force. What if she found someone better? What if she died, or worse, came back but no longer loved him ... assuming she really loved him in the first place?

Kieran put a big hand on his back and shoved, and Breandon stumbled up the steps. He paused at the top, gulped a deep breath, and smoothed his hair. Oddly, the familiar gesture and silky feel convinced him that he was being silly, and with a measure of his old aplomb he stepped through the great doors.

The first part of the Palace, through the great doors, was the public area, open to citizens and visitors alike nearly all the time. Breandon knew the spaces there as well as he knew his shop and apartment; parties, receptions, and balls were all held in the public part of the Palace. He quickly passed through that space, and came to the first serious obstacle in his plan – a guarded door.

Fortunately, the guard was a familiar face from Greynn's, and Breandon hailed him by name. "Heyla, Quinn!"

Quinn returned the greeting, slapping palms with the designer. "What brings you to our merry abode this time, Bren?" He looked Breandon up and down, clearly self-conscious about his job coupled with Breandon's reputation.

Breandon showed him the package. "A delivery, this time, nothing to worry about. I don't suppose you could direct me to the Guardian's rooms?"

"She's not here," he answered automatically. "They're supposed to be back in a few days... and I really can't just let you walk past unescorted."

Breandon chewed on his lip, considering. "I know she's not there," he began, "but this is supposed to be a surprise ... "

Quinn looked uncomfortable.

"Can't you call someone to escort me?" Breandon finished.

Serious grey blue eyes darted from Breandon to the package, to the other guards around him, and then back to Breandon. "I guess I could take you myself, just this once... but if anyone says anything, I'm turning back around."

"Great!" Breandon bestowed a huge grin on Quinn, who looked even more uncomfortable.

"Hey, man, it's nothing big, you know ... just a favour for a friend ... "

Breandon shrugged and gestured. "Lead on, my man."

Quinn stood around awkwardly as Breandon fussed with the placement of the dress and twitched the folds over and over. First the train didn't hang right, then the sleeves were bunched up ... then the trim-belt was twisted. At last he was satisfied and stood back to admire his creation. It was beautiful, and he got stars in his eyes just thinking about how she would look in it.

Quinn yanked on his arm. "Come on, man, I gotta get back to my post like pronto."

Rolling his eyes, Breandon hurried after Quinn – but the damage was already done. Four doors down the hall, a burly, dark guard lounged indolently against the wall. He cracked his knuckles as Quinn and Breandon walked past, but waited until they were completely past before he called to their backs, "Been demoted to escorting the playboy away from his conquests, Quinn?"

Quinn's back stiffened, but he kept walking. Breandon's green eyes flared, and a muscle in his jaw clenched.

A large hand clamped on Breandon's shoulder. "I'm talking to you, Casanova. Who've you been screwing today? I hear interesting rumours about you and the red-headed Guardian girl."

Breandon froze. So did Quinn. Quinn turned around very slowly, afraid of what he might see in his short friend's eyes.

They were closed.

When he told the story later in Greynn's, Quinn swore he'd never seen anyone's face go so flat so fast. Breandon dropped to the floor to escape the weight on his shoulder, then spun around on his heels and kicked up and out.

If his opponent had been anyone but one of Serenity's Guards, he probably would have connected with the spot he aimed at. As it was, Quinn winced in anticipation, and winced again at the _thud_ of connection.

The burly guard roared, although Quinn couldn't tell if it was pain or laughter or some absurd combination of both, and reached down to snag Breandon's collar. But Breandon wasn't there; in some way that Quinn hadn't seen, he'd turned the kick into a backroll, and come up on his feet some little distance away.

"I'll thank you not to insult my lady," he spat coldly at the burly guard.

The guard sneered. "Are you claiming fidelity, now, after all this time? To that snippy little piece?" He rushed Breandon, who sidestepped at the last moment, barely missing the massive fist. He locked slender hands about the guard's arm, using it as leverage to swing around and slam his entire weight into the guard's back, who stumbled forward and smacked his head into the wall.

It made a satisfying 'thunk'. Quinn eyed the loose-limbed form. "Are you done yet? This was supposed to be quick and quiet."

Breandon wiped his hands off. "He insulted my lady, and I'm supposed to allow that?"

"You could have just kept walking."

"I could have, but what was the point? Better to cut it off at the source." Breandon toed the body. "I didn't push that hard."

"He'll wake up soon, and I, for one, don't want to be here when he does. Bad enough I'll have to see him off-duty. Come ON." Quinn adopted the swift lope of the Guard on the move, and vanished down the hall.

Breandon eyed the sprawled shape of the unconscious guard again. "Wonder what prompted that?" he murmured, before following his Guard friend down the hall.


	10. Love

Chapter Eight – Love 

Escorted by a swarm of Vegan patrol fighters and Lunar short range attack craft, the crippled _Prometheus_ made her way back to the spaceport. The rest of the fleet awaited the crew, erupting in a roar of raucous applause as the Princess led the officers down the ramp. Dawn slipped away, relatively unnoticed, and attempted escape through the spaceport work area.

"I heard you had quite the adventure this past week." Theo stepped out of an office, followed by the admiral of the Lunar Navy herself. "Something about you single-handedly saving the day with a barely functioning TPA, that sound about right?"

Dawn squirmed uncomfortably. Her hands, now healed after three days of being coated with blue salve, clasped behind her back. "I just did what they asked," she managed to reply.

Sailor Uranus clapped her on the shoulder. "And you did extremely well. On behalf of the entire Lunar Navy, thank you."

The auburn-haired Guardian nodded mutely, wondering how quickly she could get out of there before someone else accosted her. "You're welcome," she answered, looking to change the subject. "How's Eos doing, Theo? Is she doing any better?"

"As well as can be expected confined to a bed and pregnant with triplets," he replied wearily. "She's miserable, even though she won't admit it."

I would be, too, she thought to herself. "Well, tell her I said hello," she answered politely. "And not to be rude, but I really don't want to be near a ship for quite some time, so if you don't mind..."

"Certainly." Sailor Uranus waited until Dawn was out of earshot before nudging Theo. "That's her? The one that the guards were talking about before the briefing yesterday?" Theo gave a grunt of affirmation. "But she's so..."

"Normal?"

"After what she accomplished, I'd call her anything but normal," Uranus replied. "From what I know of Rainault, she's a bit rough around the edges for his usual tastes."

The tall Isbanni chuckled, hands in his pockets. "This coming from you? Good one, boss."

She folded her slender arms across her chest. "It's nothing against her; hell, that's just one more reason to like the girl." Clearing her throat, Uranus turned to look at the _Prometheus_. "Damage report time. Coming?"

News of Dawn's adventures on-board had preceded her arrival at the Palace. The instant she set foot inside, the palace guard began a wave of cheers and whistles. Embarrassed, Dawn ducked her head as the shyest of smiles played on her lips. She hadn't done anything special, as far as she was concerned. Wanting to avoid any more attention, she quick-stepped towards the stairs. By the time she passed the doors leading to personal living quarters, she was running, book bag bouncing against what remained of her plasma burn. It stung like hell, but she wasn't about to slow down. Breathlessly, she slammed her palm against the panel and rushed inside.

And stopped, and gasped, and stared in awe.

And, as was her modus operandi in such situations, swore in shock. "Well, shit," she exclaimed to the empty room. Hanging from the top of her armoire, a simple yet elegant creation of a dress moved ever so slightly with the rush of incoming air. Dawn reached out a tentative hand towards one of the bell sleeves. Fabric slipped over her fingertips, the lavender hues a perfect compliment to her skin tone. The bodice of the dress began in a soft twilight lavender, hues darkening to a cool indigo through the skirt. Bodice and neckline were hemmed in a lighter shade of violet, with a bow of matching colour at the back of the dress as well as a sash intended to be tied about the neck of the wearer. Holding her breath, Dawn lifted the skirt, marvelling at the train that draped gracefully towards the floor. She couldn't find words to describe it... pretty, beautiful, gorgeous, none of them seemed adequate.

She couldn't try it on, not before a shower, at the very least. Even then, part of her worried that she might tear something or snag the fabric if she dared to do more than just admire it on the hanger.

"Why'd you run off like that?" Rini demanded as the door opened. "You were an important part of the team, and they wanted to thank you in public with the rest of them, and..." The Princess trailed off, catching sight of the opulent display that hung on Dawn's armoire. "Where'd you get THAT?" It came as more of an accusation then a question. "I know we didn't buy anything like that when we... oh my. He MADE you a dress," she declared, eyes widening. "Did you ask him for that?"

Dawn whirled about, shaking her head 'no' emphatically. "Of course not, Rini! I wouldn't do that, I don't ask people for stuff, especially expensive things like this."

Rini reached out and rubbed part of the skirt between her fingers. "Expensive is right," she commented. "Know how much this stuff costs per yard?"

"I'd rather not," she answered as guilt and giddiness vied for the chance to command her reaction. "You wouldn't happen to know if he does this for all of the women he's..." She stopped herself, unwilling to find the words to complete the question. It wasn't going to bother her, she'd promised herself that while on the _Prometheus_ after her conversations with Kit. Still, if he had expended this kind of energy on the other ones...

"Nuh-uh. And he never does work for free. Not for Mom, not for anyone. This is a first, as far as I know." Rini's attention turned to the bodice, and the pale violet accents.

"Oh." _That means you're special, like he said before,_ the little voice reminded her. _He made this just for you, see?_

"Aren't you going to try it on?" Rini sat down in a chair to wait.

"No, I can't. Not now, I mean," she stammered. "First off, I need a shower." Rather than head for the bathroom, Dawn picked up her sandals and slipped them on, one hand on the wall.

"Shower's the other way."

"Later," Dawn answered. "I've gotta find Bren and thank him."

"Bren? Thank him? But you just got back, and you're a mess," she pointed out none too diplomatically.

"Yeah, well... this is more important than a shower." She checked her reflection in the mirror and messily pulled her hair back with a white scrunchie. "You're not planning on going anywhere are you?"

"Me?" Rini exclaimed. "Hell no... there is a bath, massage, and pedicure waiting for me when I get back to my suite. There is a small dinner planned for the crew of the _Prometheus_ later, which you need to be sure to attend here..."

"Back in time for dinner. You got it," Dawn replied with a nod. "I'll be back before then, I think.

"You think? But Dawn..." The doors shut, effectively saving Dawn from any further explanation as she raced out of the palace, hoping that she remembered the way to Breandon's place, now that it was daylight.

Dawn held her breath as she tiptoed into the shop, awed by the countless dresses displayed in cases and on mannequins. The main room empty, she passed elegant mannequins and opulent display cases as she crept to the back. She knocked tentatively on a door behind the main counter.

"Ow!" She could hear rattling and movement noises, then the door cracked open. Breandon had his thumb stuck in his mouth. "Yes?"

"I'm sorry, " she immediately apologized, stepping back. "I didn't mean to disturb you, I just wanted to find you and..." She swallowed. "Is this a bad time? I mean, I could come back."

He shook his head. "You've already interrupted me now, so it's hardly worth your going and returning. Is there a particular thing, or did you just miss me that much?"

"Sorry," she repeated, ducking her head. "I just wanted to thank you before I did anything else." Dawn gave him a shy smile. "It's beautiful."

He put on a blank expression. "What is this?"

"The dress. The one that was hung in my room when I got back this morning from the trials on the _Prometheus_." She frowned. "At least, I thought it was one of yours..."

Putting his nose into the air to make her laugh, he declaimed, "My style is inimitable, and anyone who tells you differently must be punished!"

She giggled, winking at him. "That, and it's identical to that one drawing in the back of your sketchbook," she pointed out slyly.

He flushed dull red. "I knew I shouldn't have let you look through there."

"Maybe." A pause, and then the same gentle smile returned to her face. "It's absolutely beautiful, regardless. Thank you."

He smiled back, reaching out to touch her arm. "A woman like you deserves beautiful things."

"If you say so." She ran a hand through her mussed ponytail, embarrassed by the flattery. "Um, well, sorry to bother you, I'll let you get back to your work..."

"Must you leave?" He closed his hand around her wrist. "It's been a week ... "

"Actually, seven days and nine hours," she corrected softly. "And no, I don't have to be back until dinner. Rini said something about doing something afterwards, but I dunno." Dawn shrugged.

Breandon stared, peridot-green eyes wide. "You counted _hours_?" He pushed her before him and emerged from the doorway, closing the door behind him.

"I missed you." Dawn whispered, now looking down at the carpet. "And besides, minutes would have taken too much concentration," she joked softly.

He looked at her, blinking, then burst out laughing. "Come upstairs, my lady of the sunrise. I'm sure we can think of something to do until dinner."

"I don't doubt that." Dawn followed, now wishing that she'd bothered to do something like brush her hair or wash her face after getting back to her suite. She waited for him to open the door to his apartment, self-consciously picking at the frayed edge of her t-shirt. "What were you working on?"

He touched his fingertip to the lock pad. "Many people have commissioned gowns for the holiday season."

"But it's barely October," she replied. "Besides, what do they do here for the holidays?"

He knelt to remove his shoes. "Do you really think I can complete one of those dresses in less than a week? I have had commissions for next year already." He flung himself down on the futon.

Her sandals left next to his shoes, she followed suit and immediately burrowed under his arm. "Handsome, talented, and in demand," she teased. "My, I should be so lucky that you can manage to squeeze me into your busy schedule."

He hugged her close, running fingers through her ponytail. "I think I can always find time for you, my darling. Tell me about the trials, will you?"

Dawn lay back against him, eyes closing. So nice, so warm and secure... "Well, they spent the first three days testing propulsion, warp drives, manoeuvring limitations, that sort of thing. Met the crew, they seemed nice enough," she added. "Their chief engineer took me on a tour of the entire engineering space on the fourth day, that was cool. And then the next few days, well..." Dawn's eyes opened. "We kinda ran into some problems."

"No wonder you're tense," he commented, beginning to massage her shoulders and neck. "Relax, imp, it's over."

"Ow!" She sat up as his hands brushed against the tender skin of her shoulder blade. "Careful..."

He jerked his hands back. "Who hurt you? By the gods, I'll take them apart with my bare hands!"

"It's nothing, I'm just still sore," she soothed, sitting up and turning to face him. "We got attacked, and they had me use the TPA against a handful of fighters." She rolled the sleeve up, showing a spectacular gash surrounded by a field of black, blue, and greenish-purple. "It looks much worse than it is, really."

"You ... got ... attacked ... ! Is this how they protect a Guardian? I'm going to have words with someone about this ... " Breandon smacked a fist down. "Ow."

She replaced the sleeve and took his hand in hers. "I'm the one doing the protecting, remember? It's in my job description." She gently lifted his hand to her lips and placed a kiss in his palm. "Everything's okay now."

He curved his hand around her cheek. "I couldn't bear the thought of something happening to you." He pulled her into his chest, hugging tightly. "I missed you so much." _Too much_, he thought.

She snuggled herself under his chin, sighing blissfully. "I missed you, too. More than I thought I would. Funny, huh?"

"Not at all," he murmured into her hair. "I should be quite upset if you did not miss me." He kissed the sunset-red strands.

Dawn's fingers played idly with the buttons at the neck of his smock. "You don't think it's possible to miss someone too much?"

He blinked, looking stunned. "You aren't by any chance a telepath, too?

"I hope not," she laughed ruefully. "One set of superpowers is enough, thank you very much." She stroked the underside of his chin with the back of her hand. "I just... well, I get immersed in things. One track mind, bordering on obsession. If I get 'smothery,' just let me know."

He attempted to kiss her ear, missed, and got a mouthful of hair. "I should very much like you to be immersed in me." Putting a hand under her chin, he tipped her face up and kissed her mouth. The silence lasted for quite some time. Breaking the kiss, he smiled at her. "Well?"

"Happily drowning," she breathed softly, peering at him through her lashes. She relished the touch of his hand against her face, warm breath on her cheek... "You?"

"Oh, quite, quite content." He smoothed a hand over her shoulder, gently caressing.

"That's good." Dawn raised herself up slightly, pressing her nose to his. "Now," she began in a playful whisper. "How did you think to pass the time?"

He insinuated a finger under the collar of her shirt. "I'm sure we can think of something, don't you?"

"Something tells me that you already have." Closing her eyes, she brushed her lips lightly against his. "Care to elaborate?" she murmured softly?

"I don't want to frighten you again," he whispered against her lips. He lowered his head to kiss her collarbone, then looked back up into eyes as dark as creamed coffee.

She shivered, thrilling in the sensation. "I'm not frightened," she breathed, closing her hand about his and willing the slight tremble to cease. Eyes still locked on his, she brought his hand up to her chest.

He startled himself by fumbling slightly. _Since when do I get nervous at seducing a woman?_ he thought. _Since the woman is her, dimwit_, a treacherous – and honest – part of himself replied. Slowly, savouring each moment, he undid each button. She watched, heart pounding as cool air hit the skin on her chest and stomach. _Scared? No, I don't think so... anxious? Maybe... but it's just so nice..._ Dawn brought up a hand, twining soft strands of mahogany hair about her fingers. Breandon's confidence grew as Dawn didn't shy away. Kissing her again with rising passion, he slipped both hands beneath the sides of the shirt, now swinging freely. The skin was cool and silken, pale even for Dawn with lack of sun. "You're beautiful."

She glanced down at her bared skin, blushing. "If you say so," she murmured.

"When have I ever lied to you, rose of the sky?"

"I don't believe you have, ever." She caressed the side of his face, ignoring the little voice of reason that smacked of disapproval. Reason be damned... she pulled him closer, eyes closing with a soft and innocent request. "More?"

Obediently he complied, kissing again while his hands did a complicated dance that resulted in her shirt vanishing somewhere in the vicinity of the floor. He passed his fingers down her back with the lightest of touches. A contented hum escaped her throat, and one hand drifted to the zipper of the work smock he wore. Tentatively, she tugged gently at the metal tag, revealing skin to the centre of his chest. Dawn groped at the fabric, her fingers grazing warm skin in her attempts.

A slight chuckle escaped Breandon as he began to transfer his attentions to her throat. "Don't stop there, imp," he murmured, the movement of lips against her skin tickling.

"Hmmmmmm?" Eyes still closed, she managed to completely unzip the smock. Fingernails raked over his ribcage slightly more aggressively than she'd intended, owing in part to his discovery of a very sensitive patch between ear, jawline, and neck. A delightful shudder enveloped her, prompting gooseflesh to appear. His shudder echoed hers. Nimbly he removed her bra and began to caress her breasts, leaning over them in an effort both to escape her none-too-delicate attentions and to attempt a distraction. Her eyes flew open and she gasped at the sensation of his hands against her skin, back involuntarily arching as she clutched at the sides of the smock. "That's... you're... I'm..." Mind racing, breathing rapid, she swallowed hard and felt another rush of warmth over her skin. "Breandon, I..."

He lifted his head, eyes bright. "Yes?"

_Well, don't stop!_ "You're wearing more than I am, at the moment," she pointed out breathlessly.

He grinned. "You seem to have made a good start at changing that; what's stopping you now?"

"It's a bit hard to concentrate on that when you're..." She stopped, flushing as she realized she was very bare from her waist up. "Distracting me with other activities."

He leaned forward and nipped at her earlobe. "You shall have to learn not to be distracted," he breathed.

"Or perhaps, to distract you just as effectively," she whispered devilishly, gritting her teeth at the oh-so-pleasurable shiver that ran down her neck. She traced the outline of his jaw to the side of his ear as she sat up, tugging at the smock in a more aggressive manner. Her lips followed the same path along his skin, the tip of her tongue flicking against the top of his ear. "Is it working?"

He gasped, "What kind of lover would I be to give away my secrets so easily – Dawn! How am I supposed to retain control if you do that?"

"Try harder," she purred between nibbling on the skin along his neck and relieving him of the smock. She hung it over the side of the futon before loosening the tie in his hair.

He traced a fingertip down the muscles of her arms, admiring their definition. Wickedly, he replied, "What if I don't want to?" and kissed her again before she could answer. She fell back into the cushion, pulling him with her until she lay with her hair hanging off the edge. Pulling back slowly, Dawn gazed up in open adoration at Breandon, whose own hair now covered her otherwise naked torso.

"What are you looking at, imp?" he asked, laughing and flipping his hair over his shoulder in a smooth, practised motion. He had a nice, flat stomach and strength enough to hold his upper body over her without a hint of strain.

"You." It was spoken softly and honestly. "Just you."

His mischievous expression softened into something more ... Dawn couldn't come up with a word for what he looked like now, but it was definitely something she liked. He reached down and gathered her close to him, managing with some effort to get them both arranged in comfortable positions. He laid one hand flat on her stomach.

"Yes?" Dawn covered his hand with hers.

"Merely admiring your beauty, my angel of the sunrise." The hand slipped lower.

She beamed, eyes closing. "You say the nicest things," she murmured.

His warm laugh rumbled her spine, and the hand slipped beneath the waistband of her pants. "I speak only the truth."

She stiffened slightly at the touch, opening one eye. The little voice of reason was screaming, and apprehension had begun to set in.

He stopped, immediately. "Be easy, Dawn."

"I'm trying," she attempted calmly, the smoothness in her voice contradicting the rigidity of her posture.

He placed both hands on her shoulders. "You have only to say. I am at your command, my lady."

"I..." She faltered, turning her head into the cushions. "I don't know if..."

"Talk to me," he suggested. "Explain your fears to me."

At that, Dawn screwed her eyes shut and let loose with the stream of consciousness that had built up within the past week. "I'm not afraid of physical stuff, as a general rule, although sheer lack of experience would contribute some degree of anxiety. So, there's that... but the fact that they're going to make me leave at some point keeps echoing in my head, no matter how much I try to forget it," she rushed. Lines appeared in her forehead as she frowned, concentrating on finding the right words, the right combination that wouldn't hurt but still communicate the right array of emotions and questions that had plagued her since that first kiss at Greynn's. "And I can't do anything halfway... body, mind, soul, it's all interconnected and that means that... that..." She swallowed hard, opening her eyes as her hands closed about his wrists tightly. "I can't figure out what's going to hurt less when all of this has to end." She choked on the last words, eyes closing again tightly.

Breandon's arms closed about her. His eyes were faceted with tears. "Oh, my dear ..." He pulled her close, burying his face at the join of neck and shoulder. "I will do anything you tell me to – I will do anything to make you happy. Just tell me what to do."

"I'm already happy." She cradled his head, weeping softly despite her words.

"Please don't cry," he said, voice muffled. He clutched at her.

Dawn's tears dried on her cheeks as she stroked Breandon's hair. "I won't," she promised. "I won't cry any more."

He pushed back against the futon's cushions. "Dawn, I want to take advantage of the time we have together. As much advantage as possible. If we must be parted, then let it be with as many good memories as we can make!" he pleaded.

She reached for him, nodding mutely. Better to live in the moment and be happy than to waste time dreading the future, she thought. "I... I do too. I don't believe that this wasn't supposed to happen."

He took her hand, kissing it fiercely. "Who told you this wasn't supposed to happen? Everything is meant, and so were we, and don't you ever believe anything else!"

"I won't." Dawn's eyes travelled from her hand in his grasp to his face, and she lifted a finger to trace his lips. "I..."

"Hush, now," he said against her finger, and ensured her silence with his mouth against hers. His other hand rested in the small of her back, holding her close against him.

"I love you," she murmured, her form moulding to fit against his. Warm, and secure, and right, and... _perfect_. He started. "What?" Dawn pulled back, searching his expression for an explanation. "What is it?"

"I never expected that of you."

"Expected what?" The question tinged with guilt, she wondered what she'd done wrong now.

He touched her face gently. "That you would love me, and say so. Oh, don't look at me like that. You look like a puppy who's been kicked."

She ducked her head. "But why shouldn't I tell you? You should know at least that much."

A sigh. "I did not say you should not tell me, my dove of the moon. I merely said I did not expect it." He tipped her chin up. "Shall I essay a distraction, or do you fear what I might do?"

"I trust you."

He looked long and steadily into her eyes. "Then come." He rose, disentangling from her, and paced deliberately toward the back of the apartment.

She watched him disappear into one of the rooms before placing both feet on the floor. Suddenly light-headed, she put out a hand to steady herself. Her blouse lay on the floor, partially concealed by the discarded bra as well as a fallen pillow. For an instant, Pluto's warning echoed in her mind. _You're responsible... I hold you responsible for anything that may result..._

Dawn stood, shedding her denim jeans and the rest of her undergarments. Resolutely, she padded silently along the same path Breandon had taken, stopping in the doorway. He, too, was clad in nothing but hair, although in his case it was more like a robe of hair. He held his arms open to her, and she came slowly.

"Don't hurt me?"

"I won't."

They were never sure, afterwards, who had asked and who had answered. The question, and reassurance, were enough.

The afternoon sun cast long shadows in front of Dawn as she returned to the Palace. Eyes on the marble floor, she attempted nonchalance on her walk to her suite. A contented sigh escaped her lips as the door shut behind her. Sandals kicked off, she flopped in the blue armchair and closed her eyes. The most blissful of smiles found its way to her lips. She imagined herself still tangled in navy silk sheets, her check against his chest as she lay somewhere between breathless wonder and ecstasy. Dawn had wanted to stay with him for the rest of the night, but duty compelled her to dress and leave, with a promise to see him again as soon as she could.

On her way back, she had contemplated leaving the dinner early to sneak back to his apartment again. Dessert could be considered optional, and a sore shoulder would be met with appropriate sympathy after her bout with the TPA. She could excuse herself and then sneak past the guards. They never questioned where she ran off to...

"Dawn? Are you back yet?" Rini called via intercom seconds prior to letting herself in.

"Yeah," came the dreamy response. "Back in time for dinner, like you said."

Rini stood in the doorway, head tilted ever so slightly to the left as she observed the Guardian. "No shower yet?"

"Nuh-uh." In her mind's eye, she played back each kiss, each cool caress against impossibly hot skin, each velvety whisper... she gave an involuntary shudder and a giggle escaped her throat.

"You okay?" Rini frowned.

"Oh, I'm perfectly wonderful," she answered, stretching her hands above her head. "Why do you ask?"

"You're acting awfully strange." Rini's eyes narrowed, and then widened as her jaw dropped in realization. "You didn't..."

"Didn't what?"

"IT. I mean, you and he... the two of you..." She found it fairly challenging to speak in complete sentences. "How COULD you?"

A Cheshire grin showed that Dawn had decided to ignore the accusatory delivery. "Quite easily," she purred contently. "I followed along quite well, he's an excellent instructor..."

"DAWN!" Rini shrieked. "I didn't ask for details, and when it comes to him, I don't WANT details. By the Crystal," she muttered. "I thought you just went to thank him for the dress."

"I did. The rest was spontaneous." She swung her legs around and stood up. "And wonderful," she gushed. "Perfect and intimate and secure and romantic and just... perfect," she concluded, mind still reeling from the midday activities. Who cared about being coherent?

Rini shook her head, her expression one of shock. "If Pluto finds out... if Mom knows... oh this just isn't good," she fretted aloud.

"Why not?" Worry entered her voice, and that kicked puppy expression stole the proverbial sparkle from her eyes.

Rini glanced at Dawn, and her frown lightened. "Never mind," she answered, defeated. "C'mon, you need to get ready for dinner."

"Don't do that," Dawn pleaded. "Don't tell me I've done something wrong, and then brush it off."

"It's not that you've done something wrong," Rini swiftly answered with false reassurance. "This just becomes complicated."

Dawn rolled her eyes, a melodramatic gesture that indicated she didn't think things could get any more complicated. "Well, for the record, I am not going to admit to doing anything wrong. I did NOTHING wrong." Disappearing into the walk-in closet, she allowed her voice to provide the air of confidence that a worried expression couldn't convey. "I enjoyed myself thoroughly. I enjoy his company thoroughly."

"Well, you'd better start acting more like yourself at dinner," she called. "Otherwise, Pu's gonna suspect something... and so will other people who know about you and Breandon."

Now a satisfied smile stretched from ear to ear. "Yeah, like who? I can count the number of people I've mentioned Breandon and me to on one hand."

"Try almost everyone."

Dawn poked her head out of the closet. "Excuse me?"

Carnation pigtails shook from side to side in disbelief at the young woman's naivete. "You and I haven't been here, but he has. How do you think he's kept away his gaggle of former lovers?" Rini pointed a finger in Dawn's general direction. "You. He tells them about you, they gossip. The guards here who've encountered you, they gossip, too. His whirlwind courtship of you is the most popular subject of conversation among the Crystal Tokyo elite."

"Why do they care?" Annoyed and fearing dinner more by the minute, she disappeared into the safety of the closet once more. Stupid stuck up people, it was none of their business as to how she chose to spend her time, especially when it came to Breandon.

Rini threw her hands up in the air. This was going absolutely nowhere. Dawn was in some kind of denial and clearly didn't want to hear the truth. Rini figured she had experience versus Dawn's want to turn a blind eye to the cattiness and harsh gossip that went hand in hand with being a member of Court. "Just because," she called back in exasperation. "Get dressed and get me in an hour for dinner, okay?"

A snippy "Yes, your Highness," echoed from the closet, followed by an irate Guardian slamming the bathroom door behind her. Rini exited the suite in a similar huff, promising herself that Breandon would have an earful from her concerning his activities with Dawn the next time he was unfortunate enough to meet her.

Fifty-seven minutes later, Dawn arrived at Rini's door in a rich chocolate brown sleeveless sheath dress that played up her pale skin and brought out her eyes. Still annoyed at the comments from earlier, she knocked twice and then stepped back. Hands clasped in front of her, Dawn surveyed the hallway. A lone figure with spiky blond hair attempted a smile, which Dawn returned out of sheer habit. Rather than stay at his post, he bobbed his head in greeting as he approached her.

"I'm sorry if having that dress delivered to your room was out of line," he apologised sheepishly. "Rainault-san insisted upon it."

Her mouth opened in surprise. "Sorry? Oh please, don't be," she recovered, the smile on her lips now genuine. "It was a wonderful gesture, thank you."

"You're welcome," he beamed. "Have a good night, Miss Connolly." A quick bow, and he hurried back to his post, leaving Dawn slightly more relaxed when Rini emerged. A delicate strapless dress patterned with white and pink roses sharply contrasted the dark expression on her face.

"Your hair's dry," she observed sullenly.

"Yeah, figured I'd try to not embarrass you," Dawn quipped, fingering the loose curls that fell over her shoulder.

"Good." Rini started off down the corridor, Dawn keeping step several feet behind her. The personal dining area in the Royal Family's living quarters had been declared more than adequate for the hosting of a small dinner party. The officers and their guests would be the only people there, which put Dawn at ease. Nothing to worry about.

Kis kept her hand firmly placed on Breandon's shocking-pink sleeve. When he'd stopped by to pick her up, her eyes had almost fallen out of her head. She'd tried – briefly – to remonstrate with him, pointing out that there was little need to antagonise anyone – keeping to herself the thought that he'd done that superbly if accidentally already.

He hadn't seemed to care, only waited out her words with his usual urbane air.

And now they were here, and Kis could only be thankful that at least she _knew_ most of the people here. Maybe she could do a little damage control ... since the two parties most involved didn't seem to give a damn, fat or skinny.

The whispers began as soon as they entered the room.

"She did not," Rini breathed in a fury. Her nostrils flared in a most unbecoming fashion as she and a good many of the rest of the guests stared at the pair that entered the room. Next to her, Dawn went near-ashen at the sight of Breandon. Kis had mentioned that Bren was a friend, so having brought him made sense enough on that count. At the same time, Dawn hadn't anticipated seeing him so soon, and among so many people she knew.

Kis circled the room with Breandon, at times forcibly holding him back from striding across to Dawn. "Do you want to give them even more to talk about?" she hissed in his ear. At any other time, she might've found his rapidly altering expressions amusing – but right now it was just that much more information for the gossip brokers. She took the long way around the room to Rini and Dawn, smiling and chatting. Hello Duke, is the ship ready, hi Akiko, you look lovely tonight, Derrelli what a nice surprise to see you in something besides robes ...

The Princess spun Dawn about to face her, keeping her from Breandon's eyes. While Dawn regained her balance from the rough shove, Rini took the opportunity to send the nastiest of socially acceptable glares in Kissuiko's direction. She was not about to have her parents' reception become a hotbed for gossip, especially when it came to that man. An arm caught Dawn and helped her from crashing into a table.

"Bad shoes, maybe?" Hoshi had separated herself from Derrelli and held two glasses out to the Princess and Guardian. "Here, you look as if you might need this."

Dawn nodded gratefully and knocked back half of her champagne. Rini cleared her throat in clear disapproval and sipped, eyes watching the ostentatious pink shirt and its owner make their way about the room.

"That's a lovely dress, your Highness," Hoshi began, making a stab at conversation. "Yours too," she added to Dawn.

Fingernails tapped nervously against the stem of her glass. "Thank you," she managed without choking on the words. "So, um, is the ship going to take long to repair?"

Hoshi laughed merrily. "Aki-chan has her work cut out for her. I bet she'd let you shadow her, if you could fit it into your schedule. See, they start with main engineering, and then they go to primary weapons, and..."

With Hoshi unknowingly providing an adequate distraction, Rini stole away from the pair and made her way towards Kis and her 'guest.'

Breandon was beginning to regret the impulse that had caused him to accept Kis' invitation. He wasn't getting to be with Dawn any, Rini was shooting Glares-of-Death in his direction, and the shirt itched. Madly.

He resigned himself to being Kis' token male for the evening and began to plot ways to get Dawn alone many times over the next few days.

"Her royal Pinkness, five o'clock," Kis muttered under her breath as Rini deliberately ignored Duke's greeting and sauntered up to Breandon. Keeping a firm grip on his arm, Kis forced a smile to her face for the obligatory greeting. "Good evening, your Highness."

"Rainault." It would be the most cordial thing out of Rini's mouth to him for the majority of the evening. "What prompted you to show up?"

Breandon released Kis' arm to sweep a flourishing bow. "I was asked, of course." He bowed to Kis with gratitude. "I am wounded that you are not overjoyed to see me, Your Highness."

"I'll leave that for others you've managed to bewitch," she answered in an overly polite tone. "Might I have a word with you in private, if you can tear yourself away from your date for this evening?"

Kis narrowed her eyes at the diminutive Princess. "Technically, he's MY date, but I'll be more than happy to share." Releasing his arm, she gave a quick curtsy. "Now play nice."

Rini held composure until Kis was out of earshot before letting loose on Breandon. "Are you out of your god-damned mind?" she hissed.

Breandon blinked. He'd definitely anticipated being the cynosure of all eyes and the subject of all gossip, but bearing the brunt of the Princess' anger hadn't crossed his mind. Granted, with Dawn's temper it was probably for the best, but still.

"I don't know what you mean," he said stiffly. "Have I offended more than usual?"

"Offended? Oh, it's more than just a simple case of offending," she snapped. "You are going into territory that you should have avoided out of common sense and decency."

"Elucidate."

"Eluci..." Rini gripped the skirt of her dress to refrain from jabbing Rainault in the chest with recently manicured nails. "You know who she is, where she's from, and why she's here. And yet, you have to go and play your bedroom games with her." Bright patches of red showed on her cheeks as her temper built.

Breandon spat, "It would be nice if you didn't make assumptions. Again."

"Again?" Rini seethed. "Oh, you mean about Ashe? Gosh, what did I assume... that you told him to seriously consider the Star Hunters? Weren't you the one who told him to think it over?"

"I TOLD him not to jump without thinking. I TOLD him, Highness, that making choices based on what was wanted of him and not what he wanted was a bad idea." Breandon stared at Rini, eyes flat. "Get over it."

"Is that what you're going to tell Dawn when it's time for her to leave? To just 'get over it?'" It was a low blow, but playing fair was the furthest thing from Rini's mind.

"Don't be a fool," he replied coldly. "Even you can change, though I've seen precious little evidence of that thus far tonight."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

He sighed, out of patience with the whole game. "It means, my dear, that I have changed. That this is no longer a 'game' to me, and I intend to protect Dawn from the results of my life as far as I may."

Rini's mouth opened and shut as if she wanted to reply to such a declaration, but the appropriate words had escaped her. A hand came to rest on her shoulder, and she jumped in surprise as her own mother came up to them. "Engaging in witty conversation again, are you?" Serenity asked in a wry tone.

Breandon immediately sank to one knee.

"Oh, don't do that here," Serenity chided gently. "Rini, why don't you go mingle with the crew? You were technically in command throughout the entire ordeal. It's not good manners to separate yourself like this."

Rini gave her mother a curtsy while Breandon received one last scowl before she left in a huff.

"My gratitude," Breandon murmured, rising to his feet but keeping his eyes downcast.

Silver-white curls swayed as Serenity shook her head. "My apologies for her cornering you. She's relatively protective, moreso than her own parents, as it would seem." She delicately cleared her throat. "And pardon for my reliance upon idle Court gossip, but you and the Guardian have been spending quite a lot of time together since she's arrived."

"We have," he acknowledged, determined to give nothing away under that cool blue gaze.

"Good for the both of you, then," she answered, the corner of her mouth lifting in a royally discreet smile.

Breandon blushed under that smile as he hadn't blushed since before Dawn left on the _Prometheus_. "Thank you," he whispered, humbled once again by the power and wisdom of his Queen.

"You're quite welcome," she whispered back. "Always a pleasure, Breandon," she finished, turning to leave.

He stood there, looking after her, loyalty and a vague, ill-defined envy of King Endymion burning in his heart. "Oh, to love such a woman."

"How about this one?" Dawn's voice came from behind him. "Granted, I'm not royalty..."

He started, gracelessly. "That hardly matters."

"You're certain?" A twinkle in her eyes showed she was just teasing him. "I'm sure I could dredge up a title somehow."

He smiled at her. "Isn't 'Guardian' enough?"

"I suppose." Her hand, icy from sheer nerves, found their way to the crook of his arm. "Kis asked you to come along?"

He covered her hands with his warm ones and confided, "I think she understood how much I – WE missed each other."

"Think so?" Dawn allowed herself a dreamy smile while lost in peridot-green eyes. "That's nice of her."

He had to laugh at her expression. "Stop that," he chided fondly. "You have to pay attention to your crew mates, not me."

She poured on the soppiness for a moment longer, then forced herself to examine the rest of the group. To her surprise and embarrassment, many of them had focused attention on the corner of the room where she and Breandon stood. "From the look of things, it seems like they'd rather watch us than chatter amongst themselves," she noted nervously.

"I think they're doing both," he noted.

"Is that good or bad?"

"Both."

Dawn swallowed, unsure of what to do next. Across the room, Kis managed a thumbs-up unseen by everyone else. Off to the right, Rini glowered at Breandon as Akiko and Hoshi worked to distract her with conversation. Seeing the Princess, Dawn chuckled softly in satisfaction.

"She's just mildly upset having you here," she said softly into his ear. "Everyone else is just surprised."

"I think 'mildly' is an understatement, love," he whispered back. "Go, circulate. I'm an ornament tonight."

"And a gaudy one at that." She kissed him on the cheek before lifting her hand from his elbow. "If you're still doing things for me, promise to never wear that again." She gave him a slight curtsy, eyes dancing.

"If you insist," he sighed mournfully. "I thought I cut a dashing figure, but as the love of my life commands ... " He flipped his hand at her, shooing her off, then assumed a pose as the melancholy artist until Kis returned.

Coming up behind Rini, Dawn nudged Kis gently. "I think your date would prefer your company to mine this evening," she began such that the Princess would catch every word. "I think I'm boring him."

"Is that so?" Kis gave Dawn an appreciative once over. "I'll have to talk to him about that then... you wouldn't bore me."

"I'm flattered," she responded smoothly. "Thanks again, Kis."

"Any time, baby girl." Kis departed, leaving Rini to fume at Dawn in open company.

"If you're QUITE finished," she hissed, "it's time to take our seats for dinner, unless you feel it necessary to cause an even greater spectacle tonight."

Dawn glanced to Akiko and Hoshi, who were doing their best to not appear too terribly shocked. "I'll wait until dessert, I think," she said airily. "Let everyone eat and gossip before giving them any more to talk about."

Fortunately for all involved, dinner was enough to occupy everyone's mind for a while. Dawn, seated at the opposite end of a table from Breandon, noticed that he seemed to be keeping his seating partners in stitches. She shrugged.

He'd always be a social butterfly, and she'd better resign herself to that, she decided. There couldn't be a better time to start than now. And as dessert appeared on tiny crystal plates before them, she plunged back into the fray.

"Now, if Akiko's overseeing reconstruction, where does that leave you?" she asked Derrelli politely. "You don't have a ship to command."

He swallowed a spoonful of chocolate mousse. "I have a ship to reprogram," he corrected. "Can't sit around and let her take all of the glory, can I?"

Dawn laughed merrily in reply, brushing away a strand of hair from her face. Such movement brought her elbow dangerously close to her water glass, and she shot out a hand to keep it from falling over.

"Oh, that was graceful," Rini muttered nastily next to her. "I'm sure your designer would think you ever so refined doused in ice water. You should try the mousse, that would at least match the atrocity of a dress you picked." Smugly, she turned her attention back to a conversation between several of the weapons crew.

Tears stung at the corners of Dawn's eyes as her throat went tight. Swallowing hard, she gave Derrelli and Hoshi a strained smile. "I'll have to make time to come by. If you'll pardon me, I need to go take care of that plasma burn," she lied. Standing up, she afforded Rini the smallest of bows before making her way towards the door, chin held high in an effort to not lose her composure.

At the far end of the table, Breandon laid his spoon down on the edge of his dish, bestowed a dazzling smile around the room, and followed Dawn out without so much as an excuse. His face, before his back was turned, could be seen to be drawn into an expression of uncharacteristic anger.

"He's never done _that_ before," someone muttered, just audibly, before a fresh outburst of gossip obscured anything farther than a foot away from a listener.

Out of the dining room, Dawn pulled her sandals off and began running down the corridor. The dress kept her from anything more than a quick jog, and she gave up halfway to the main door. Her shoes fell to the ground with a soft thud and her shoulders slumped forward.

Warm arms encircled her from the back. "What did she say?"

"That my dress was ugly, and that I should have tried to spill the mousse instead," Her voice cracked and she lost all composure. Dawn turned around and buried her face in his shoulder, crying softly.

He pulled her over to a bench against the wall, pushed her down, and held her head against his chest, murmuring nonsense softly.

"First she gives me crap for lack of experience, then she acts like I've committed the biggest crime, and she has the gall to tell _me_ not to embarrass her at dinner..." She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, streaking mascara across her face. "It's not fair," she choked out, gripping the offensive shirt before bursting into tears again.

He smoothed her unruly hair. "No, it's not."

She sniffled a few times in a rather unladylike fashion before wiping her eyes and attempting a smile. "Sorry... I'm usually not this high maintenance," she said by way of apology. A pause, and she fingered the front of her dress. "It's not that ugly... is it?"

"Not particularly," he commented, eyes raking her in a way that brought the events before dinner vividly to mind.

She blushed furiously. "Don't do that, people might be watching us," she stammered. "Unless you really want to give the guards a really juicy bit of gossip to spread around."

"Don't look now," he whispered, "but I'm pretty sure they've got some pretty juicy gossip already." He nibbled her ear, clearly uncaring of gossip.

A sharp intake of breath proved that he'd hit upon a rather sensitive spot. "Breandon! They're right in the other room," she said quickly, eyes flickering towards the door. "What if they... oh, my... oh, dear..." Trailed from ear to the side of her jaw, Breandon's attentions made her far less than coherent.

"Oh, good, you're feeling better," he breathed. "Since we've already left the dinner, maybe you'd like to go somewhere more ... private?"

"Mmm-hmmm," she murmured. To hell with Rini and to hell with propriety, she thought resolutely.

He attempted to scoop her up in his arms and failed, making a great noise that echoed up and down the hall. Dawn tried to shush him, giggling. Giving up, he snatched her hand and pulled her into a hushed run punctuated with laughter. He seemed to know his way around far better than she did, but that didn't do a lot of good when he literally ran smack into a tall, blonde figure wearing blue and gold.

"My, someone's in an awful hurry." The light-hearted tone of Sailor Venus greeted the pair as she steadied herself with a hand to the wall. "Dinner over so soon? Didn't want to wait for dessert?"

Breandon turned very red in the face, stammered, and could not get a word out.

Eyes twinkling in knowing fashion, she turned her gaze on Dawn. "Perhaps you were going to take him back to your quarters for dessert, then," she offered.

"Mina!" Dawn hissed, utterly forgetting title and rank. "Geez, we were just... um, well, we were..." She looked to Breandon for assistance in the fabrication of a feasible excuse.

"Dawn has to stay in shape," he said, knowing it for a feeble excuse. "So we were just taking a little run before dessert ... "

"Don't lie to me, dear. It's not becoming," she laughed.

Dawn sighed, defeated. "Fine... Rini's being a wench about us being together, she snapped at me, and I'd rather be alone with him for the rest of the evening." She paused, then eyed Venus. "You're not gonna tell anyone, are you?"

Venus' eyes twinkled. "I suspect I could be persuaded to ... assist in your romantic endeavours."

Dawn's face lit up, making smeared mascara appear comical. "Really? What kind of persuasion?"

She regarded them both with a greater element of seriousness, putting a finger to her chin. "Make each other happy," Venus told them, blue eyes steady. The pair drew themselves up under that earnest gaze. "Make each other happy, and be joyous in one another. Don't let your problems come between you. Love one another. As long as you do that, I'll aid you."

Dawn bit back a comment about Mina getting poetic in old age, and instead turned to Breandon. "I'm all for that. What about you, doll?"

He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. "I thought I'd already promised all that to you."

"Just checking." She beamed happily, lost against in peridot-green eyes. "So, what's the plan?"


	11. Tribulations

Chapter Nine – Tribulations 

Breandon strolled through the Row, a sensual, elegant figure none the worse for a complete lack of sleep. His hands were nested deep in his pockets, one fisted tight around a small velvet box. The dawning sun added extra copper lights to his hair and tinted the plaza square with delicate rays of brilliance. The white marble fountain came to life as the morning light touched it, cascades of water silently flowing out of the rose finial to splash musically into the basin.

The dawn stillness was as crystalline as the water, punctuated by the hushed calls of women coming to the fountain, the shluff of feet transporting wares from cart to stall and shop, and the ever present song of the birds that made Crystal Tokyo their home.

At the north-east corner of the plaza, Dawn sipped coffee bought from an old man who complimented her pale rose sundress with grandfatherly appreciation. Hair hung damply down her back, left to dry to bring soft curls by mid-morning. Sandals made little sound against the brick walkways as she weaved in and out between the wagons and carts that would be moved before more of the Row patrons arrived. She paused to admire a display of carved crystal that sent fragments of the morning light dancing across white cobblestones.

Across the plaza, Breandon bought his own early morning beverage from his favourite chocolate vendor, who gave him a knowing wink and smile. He smiled back, and hopped up to his usual perch on a wall along one side of the plaza. He'd need the advantage of the height he lacked to spot Dawn across the filling square, despite her flaming hair.

Sunlight turned the white walls and cobblestones pale gold and tinted a lone cloud rosy amber, but didn't light up a tall red-headed figure. An old-fashioned brass bell, towered high above the crowds, began to toll the hour in sonorous tones as a line of mercenaries brushed past Breandon's dangling feet.

There was still no sign of Dawn.

"Not yet? Well, thank you very much." Dawn bobbed her head and gave a smile to a little boy who went back to sweeping the steps in front of his auntie's flower shop. The square becoming busier by the minute, Dawn made her way to a picturesque fountain at the centre, and hopped up on the ledge. No sign of a dashing and flamboyantly dressed figure here. She shielded her eyes from the morning sun as she stood on her toes, straining to see above the brightly coloured canopies.

Breandon drained his mug and handed it back down to the vendor with another smile. He'd hoped that Dawn would be early, but a wry little voice told him that was unlikely even in the best of circumstances – which these probably weren't. He stood up on the wall, shading his eyes against the rising sun, and finally, finally spotted his love. He was just leaning over to jump down and race through the crowd when a movement near her caught his eye, and he froze.

Dawn's coffee fell into the fountain, with Dawn following as a heavy staff connected with her ankles and swept her feet out from under her. A rough hand hauled her from the fountain, pulling her into the arms of a well-muscled young man who grinned at her with gold-capped teeth. Instantly fearful, Dawn threw one hand up, ready to henshin then and there. Just as suddenly as she opened her mouth, the sharp jab of a needle behind her ear allowed a scream to escape rather than her transformation phrase. Medicine worked quickly, and her eyes glassed over as she fell limply into her captor's arms.

"Ohhhhhh, SHIT." The vendor blinked up at Breandon for about a millisecond before he leaped bodily off the wall and hit the ground running.

Or at least TRYING to.

The abductors had timed their attack perfectly – the crowds were thick enough to prevent rapid movement, but thin enough to allow a moderately slow-moving group to simply blend in, supporting one of their number as though she was merely dead-drunk ... and not drugged asleep. Breandon fought his way to the fountain to discover the trail cold and turning colder.

Despair overwhelmed him, and he crumpled to the rim of the fountain's basin.

"Ay, papi, you don't look so good." A slightly accented voice came up behind him and a hand gripped his upper arm to pull him to his feet.

Sick frustration caused him to jerk his arm away. "Shove off."

Cold metal jabbed at the skin behind the ear as the hand grabbed his arm once more. "We will, as soon as you're on board."

Darkness overwhelmed his curse.

* * *

Dawn awoke long enough to realize that she was about to throw up and that she needed to move. Throwing her limp body to the side, she retched violently for a couple of minutes, stomach emptied of what little she'd consumed that morning. Dizziness overwhelmed her, and she rolled back over, curling in a foetal position as she whimpered softly.

A voice completely unknown to Dawn hissed over her head, "Is that SUPPOSED to happen? You promised to deliver them hale and whole to – "

"Shut up, Valère!"

There was a smack as of flesh hitting flesh, and the metallic ring of a weapon being drawn. From the sound of it, a knife. An arm the hue of fine chocolate came into Dawn's view, holding a serrated blade. The blade glided along Breandon's cheek.

"Whatever we do to them, you'll heal, Valère. Understand?" the second voice whispered. "Before we arrive. I leave their fate up to you. If they die ... " The voice left the threat implicit.

"If we die," Dawn managed weakly, "you're gonna have a pissed off Princess and a really unhappy league of Senshi ready to chase you down for free." A hand cracked against her mouth and she went sprawling, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.

Beside her, Breandon began to convulse against his bonds, olivine eyes flying open and rolling back in his head. The half-digested remains of his morning cocoa spilled from his mouth over the kneeling figure that had to be Valère, lighter in skin tone from the unknown knife-wielder. Both captors flinched back with a spacer's disgust.

"We got problems here?" A raven haired woman strode into the cargo hold, unfazed by the seizure or the rivulet of blood and saliva. "Valère, they coming off the medication yet?" She scowled at the other two crew members.

Valère stood up, brushing ineffectually at the vomit. "The girl has, but the male is having a bad reaction. I need him moved to sickbay."

"No can do," she answered immediately. "I'm not wasting resources on that. The bounty's for the girl, not her pretty-boy escort. Still..." She pursed her lips, deep in thought. "Get his clothes before he ruins 'em. We could sell them for dinner one night."

Dawn decided later that nothing less than a threat to his clothing would have brought him around. Breandon's eyes returned to normal, and he gasped for breath, the convulsions abruptly ceasing. He gasped out on the third breath, "Don't you touch me, misbegotten daughter of a space whore. I'm more than your life is worth."

"Strip 'em both," she commanded in a bored tone. "And get me some lunch, I'm famished." With that instruction, she left her flunkies to relieve her captives of their clothing, with Valère able to do little more than watch and wipe their bodies clean before leaving.

Alone now in the silence, Breandon closed his eyes and let his head fall back against the wall. "I don't suppose you have a clue, do you, my rose of summer?"

"Hardly." Still dizzy, she managed to lean up against him. "I didn't piss off anyone yesterday, so this has nothing to do with the events of the past twenty four hours." The world spun, and she fell into his lap roughly.

Involuntarily he strained against his bonds to put his arms around her. Essaying a smile, he looked into her eyes. "I knew you loved me, but I didn't realise it was quite that much!"

The comment didn't have the desired effect, as Dawn promptly burst into tears, sobbing loudly. "'S not funny! We were gonna walk and have breakfast and..." She sniffled, unable to control her running nose that didn't help her beat-up appearance. "This is the worst birthday EVER!" Bawling, she lay her cheek against his thigh.

"Oh dear ... " Breandon tried to bend over and comfort her, and decided that didn't work so well. "Dawn, love, sit up here and look at me. Please?" God, he wanted to gather her in his arms ...

Taking his suggestion to heart, she rolled onto her back and looked up into peridot green eyes. "This okay? I don't wanna sit up," she admitted.

"I mean, if you want me to, I can sit up. Might take a while, having my hands all tied up. At any other time, you in your boxers and me tied up could be pretty exciting, but at the moment..." She trailed off, the light-hearted attempt at humour failing miserably. "Sorry," she apologized, turning her head to the side.

"No, stop that. We have to get out of here and find out what's going on." He gnawed his lip. "You don't have long fingernails, do you?"

She frowned. "They're long enough for the manicures that Rini forces me to get, but why?"

His head thunked against the wall. "I was hoping you could cut the ropes, but that's a bit melodramatic."

Dawn rolled off his lap and ungraciously managed to manoeuvre herself to inspect their bonds. Braided plastic of some kind... "Hey, see anything that looks like a heater? An exposed pipe or something?"

Wryly, he replied, "I see your hands, Guardian."

"I meant, if that doesn't work." Pulling his wrists towards her, she bent her head and began to carefully unravel the ends with her own bound hands. "This could take a while."

Confused, he craned his head over his shoulder. "Don't you have some kind of ... power, spell, whatever it's called, that generates heat?"

"It's not very good." The knots consumed her attention and distracted her from the tragedy of floating in space trapped in an unknown cargo bay. "I'm a rather useless Senshi, unless someone attacks me."

"The best offence is a good defence, hmm? I'm sorry I asked, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." He made a complicated writhe intended to move his hair out of the way better and succeeded only in jerking the knots out of her hands. "DAMMIT."

"You didn't." Calmly, she reached for the knots again and frowned. Maybe if she could control the heat before it actually materialized, that might work. "Hold still," she instructed. Forefinger and thumb around the knot, she closed her eyes and formed the image of a small white-lavender sphere in her palm. Heat moving from her extremities, collecting themselves, travelling towards her right hand, skin hot enough to burn the fibres of the ropes itself.

Breandon held very still. He remembered what her attacks did at close range. It would be ugly if she messed up, and he didn't want to be ugly.

She smelled something not unlike fibreglass burning. Her eyes flew open in shock and she quickly pulled her hand away from the knot. Only a thin strip of rope remained, the rest hanging off in gooey smoking strands. "Give it a yank."

He jerked hard, muscles swelling underneath smooth skin. "Shit this hurts," he chanted under his breath.

The ropes popped, leaving a long red mark around both wrists.

"Ew," he said, holding his wrists out to her with a grin.

She beamed, unable to throw her arms about him. "Want me to kiss it and make it better?" Dawn balled her hand into a fist, not wanting to show the burns on her fingertips from her successful experiment.

"Not yet." Nimble fingers applied themselves to her ropes, which took a few moments of grunting, cursing, and fumbling before she felt them loosen. "This stuff is nothing to some of the synth threads, Saint Serenity preserve us."

"Yeah, they could have tied you up with your own clothes." Pulling her hands apart, she shook them to get the blood flowing again. A few seconds of that, and she reached for his wrists, massaging the red lines with her thumbs. "Now what?"

"Now I gather you in my arms and warm you up, because this cargo hold is colder than the fabled ninth circle of hell." He suited action to words. "Now, my beloved morning sky, you are quite certain you have no idea who might despise us both to this degree? I really prefer not to be stripped by foreign women."

Dawn allowed herself to be snuggled, grateful for the body heat and solace that came with such intimacy. Resting her cheek on soft hair that had fallen over his shoulder, she sighed audibly. "The Arronnés, for embarrassing them at their own dinner party. Unless these are people from the same federation that attacked the _Prometheus_," she noted.

"Grand, just grand, and me with no clothes, much less a weapon. How much ARE you worth, best beloved?"

"'S much as anyone wants me, I dunno." She traced the contours of his collarbone and chest with her burnt index finger. "It's rather odd, knowing that you're regarded as an object, like a black poker chip in some wild intergalactic game."

"In other words all we can do is wait."

"So it would seem." She stroked the underside of his chin gently, lacing the fingers of her other hand into his and bringing it to her lips. "Love you," she murmured softly.

"I know."

She raised her head, her expression caught between a frown and an impish grin. "I would hope so, since I've told you before. Isn't there another response that's a bit more... reciprocative?"

"Sleeping in my bed isn't reassuring enough?" he asked, surprised.

"I..." Dawn tilted her head, unsure of how to take that question. "I don't want to bring up that whole past thing, because I know that I've said that it doesn't make a difference," she began, her explanation unsure in the delivery. "And really, it doesn't, but if we're going on that exact definition, then I'd hope that I mean more to you for that simple definition, or meaning, or proof, to apply." She dropped his hand.

He snugged both arms around her shoulders and propped his chin on her head. "I had thought actions spoke louder than words."

"It's not the same with something like this."

"That's true," he acknowledged.

"So?" Dawn twisted about, fixing her gaze on him. "Do you?"

"Do I what?"

"Love me."

He tipped her head up and kissed her thoroughly instead of answering.

Dawn broke the kiss after a moment, pulling away. "You're avoiding it," she accused softly.

"I'm speaking a different language," he returned, and bent his head again.

"Stop that!" She pushed against his chest with both hands. "I want to hear you say it, Breandon."

"Why of a sudden?"

"Why not?" she countered. "I've told you that I love you on more than one occasion. I don't think you even expected it the first time." Dawn grew more upset by the minute, the emotional injustice too much for her to comprehend. "And I haven't heard you say those three words to me yet."

He turned a dull red. "It's just words, Dawn. There are more important things."

"It's important to me." She swallowed hard, keeping her gaze steady.

"I will never understand you, golden star of my days." His eyes closed, he shook his head. "I promise you, when we get out of here, I will tell you that I love you in a hundred languages and with a thousand phrases ... but can we escape first!" he exclaimed, looking pained.

"Tell me what?" Dawn's burned fingers stroked the side of his face tenderly.

He rolled his eyes at her. "Focus, Dawn."

She gave a defeated sigh. He did manage to say it, sort of, in the middle of a bunch of other words. "Fine." She dropped her hand and pushed away from him, attempting to stand. "Screw the small talk, you wanna get outta here. I understand completely."

"Do you think you can overwhelm them?" He looked down, about as shy as she'd ever known him. "I think we may have to gain control of the ship rather than just sneak off."

"No fuckin' clue," she snapped, sarcasm taking the place of anger. "Really, I'd thought about just staying alive, considering that escaping into the vacuum of deep space really wouldn't suit either one of us, you without clothes and me in a damp sundress. There's that whole lack of atmosphere thing, too, but..." Dawn waved a hand to indicate that such a thing was minor. "But sure, let's overwhelm them. I'll henshin and distract them with my cleavage, and you attack them with... oh, wait." She whirled about, hands in the air. "You don't have a weapon."

He bit his tongue rather than snap back. "I'm not a Senshi," he reminded her quietly instead. "I don't know what you can do. For instance, I don't know if you can communicate telepathically with other Senshi, or if the Palace has some way of keeping track of you when you henshin."

He folded his legs Indian style, hands composed to shield his nakedness, and glanced about the hold. "There may yet be something in here we can use."

She glanced around, still fuming. Three little words that he couldn't manage to say, and he was relying on her to get them out of this mess. _'Cause nothing says 'I love you' like saving your ass from certain peril_. Dawn began a slow circle about the room, snooping about in boxes and trunks. The first open box yielded a roll of duct tape and a few simple tools. She shivered as she rooted through the mess, gritting her teeth. "So help me look," she muttered. "And I'm not telepathic and no one's ever said they could track me, so I dunno about that."

"Yes, Mistress." He pulled a box over and began to dump things out of it, muttering under his breath. "I'm going to ruin whomever did this, I swear it, I'm going to skin them alive and turn the skin into a RUG, by Goddess, and dance on it every morning when I rise, I'm going to string them up by their toes and perforate them with darts ... "

It became a sort of low-level background drone as he searched through box after box, space's chill seeping through the walls and raising goosebumps on his skin where the hair didn't fall – and fear of discovery or death raising goosebumps where the hair did fall.

"YES!" An excited whisper broke the silence. "Oh, this is fantastic!" Giggling, she dumped the contents of the bag onto the floor and began to rummage through the mess of fabric. Sure, the coveralls were ugly, but they'd keep them warm. "Here, put this on." She tossed a set two sizes too big at Breandon.

"Blessed Mother Serenity, those are UGLY." He scrunched his face up, making a comic face of classic dismay. He grasped the coveralls with bare fingertips, holding them out from his body and keeping an eye on Dawn's expression.

"Be ugly or freeze." She folded her arms across her bare chest. "I'm not changing until you're dressed, so make up your mind."

He flicked a glance up at her through the veil of his hair, and put it on. "You were supposed to laugh."

_And you were supposed to say that you loved me, but hey, who's counting?_ "Yeah, well..." She threw her hands up in the air, muttering her henshin phrase. Seconds later, she stood before him in her fuku, wearing not much more than before. "Funny. Now that you have clothes, let's find something that'll pass as a rapier, and you can challenge those bastards to a duel." She turned to rummage through yet another trunk.

He produced something black and mean-looking from behind his back. "Or I could just shoot them."

Her eyes lit up. "Where did you find that, and when were you going to tell me?"

"There was only one, and just now."

She traced her lips with the end of her tongue, fingers literally itching to examine the weapon. "Think it's loaded?"

Breandon jammed the thing in a pocket of his coveralls. "I know it's loaded. I also know it's loud, and not a safe weapon to use on a spaceship – you can puncture the hull. No, you can't use it."

"I didn't want to. You'll have to use it later on me." She raced across the cargo bay, dropping to her knees to find something heavy and blunt in one of the toolboxes.

A few minutes of scavenging yielded a rubber mallet and a rusty screwdriver, which Dawn brought over to a panel near the door. "You wouldn't happen to know the difference between the wiring that feeds, say, the life support system and the one that is connected to the door?"

Breandon shook his head. "Not a chance."

"Damn. Well, here goes nothing." Carefully, she began to pry the casing from the panel with the screwdriver. "So, you've got this issue with words versus action?" Dawn began casually.

He took up a position near the door and shrugged. "I just don't see why I should have to repeat myself so much."

"Reassurance, perhaps?" Concentrating on the panel tapped whatever energy that Dawn would have used to remain annoyed at him. "I tell you that I love you because I want you to know that, and it's the most direct way possible." The screwdriver slipped, etching a wide silver arc in the wall. She calmly wedged the flat end under the hinge and tried again. "I tell you that I love you because I love you... but that doesn't make a whole lot of sense." A bit of pressure began to bend the metal at a weak joint. "But really, what's wrong with repeating a few words if they mean so much to someone else?"

"Why don't you trust my other ways of saying it?" he returned, pressing an ear flat to the wall in hopes of catching approaching footsteps.

"I asked you first." Dawn repositioned the screwdriver under the second hinge and rocked the handle back and forth slowly. "And it's not that I don't trust that way, I'm just used to the other way." She frowned, replaying the words over in her head. "Well, not 'used to,'" she corrected. "I'm not used to any of this."

"That was my answer." He glanced over at her. "I do say it. The fact that you aren't happy with my language ... well, I can't do very much about that, now can I? I'm not the kind of person who is going to change my ways just because of your past."

She nodded mutely, concentrating on the hinge. Metal squealed as it separated from the casing, revealing a mess of wiring. "I change, you don't? That doesn't seem entirely fair." Exchanging one tool for the other, she took the mallet and gave the open panel a none-too-gentle whack.

Anger swelled up in him. "I didn't ask you to change."

"You didn't ask, but I've changed the way I react to things because of you and me." Another whack, and she refrained from looking at him. "You'd rather I not change anything?"

"The difference is that you are asking – I didn't, and won't, although anything about you is a joy and a dream to me."

"Fine." A violent swing sent the casing to the floor, metal clattering against metal. Dawn flung the hammer across the room, the tool connecting with a half-full box of wires. "Is that a joy and a dream?" The screwdriver followed the same trajectory. "What about that?" Her voice rose as she ranted. "All I'm asking is for THREE SIMPLE WORDS! You can compare me to EVERY FUCKING OBJECT UNDER THE SUN with poetic finesse and still, you CAN'T SAY THREE SIMPLE WORDS!"

"Ow."

"That's NOT FUNNY!" With all of the charm of a grade-school child, Dawn stomped her foot as she continued her tirade. "Are you scared? I mean, sure, I can be scared of anything intimate and we talk through it nicely, but obviously, there's another standard here that I'm not aware of."

He regarded her coolly. "Are you finished? Either this hold is well insulated, or we're going to be interrupted soon, so you should wrap this tirade up."

"I'm not wrapping anything up any time soon," she spat back, face turning pink in her fury. "Why can't you say it? Do you not WANT to say it?

Now he arched a sardonic eyebrow at her. "If they are three simple words, why is it so important?"

"Because they mean something, that's why."

Breandon rolled his eyes expressively, but a thunderous banging on the door precluded any further argument for the moment. An unfamiliar voice, distorted by volume and echoes, shouted, "Captain says, shut UP in there!"

Venting his temper, Breandon yelled back, "Or what?"

"You won't like that answer!"

"Bite me!" Dawn shot back, louder than Breandon's first reply.

The thud of angry, booted feet resounded outside the door, and a murmured conference ensued. Someone else whacked on the door. "Captain's orders! SHUT UP!"

Dawn glared at Breandon, arms folded across her chest. "Well?" she hissed. "Why can't you say it?"

Goaded past all control, he shot back, "Because you demand it. If you can't accept that my feelings are real without the meagre evidence of a few words, maybe I should start doubting you."

"Go right ahead!" Arms flung outwards to accompany her dramatic outburst. "Doubt me. Doubt the fact that I've known you for barely a handful of months and yet, I love you enough to make an issue out of three damned monosyllabic words!"

The door slammed back against the wall hard enough to bounce. "Shut. The. F – " The curse was abruptly choked off by stunned amazement, quickly followed by a sour combination of panic, fury, and frustration.

In any other situation, Breandon might have admired the brilliant flush anger brought to the cheeks of the lady captain. As it was, Dawn's insistence on discussing what was, at bottom, a relatively unimportant subject combined with the indignity of being kidnapped, stripped nearly naked, and left in a cold cargo hold outweighed any idle emotions.

"They told me you were resourceful," the captain spat.

"Did they?" Lacking any sort of common sense, the Guardian folded her arms across her chest and approached the captain. Dark eyes danced with a fury. "Did they mention that my companion here has an inability to speak simply?"

The captain's hazel eyes burned with at least as much anger and frustration as Dawn's. "They didn't mention you had a mouth on you, girl. We can do this the hard way or the easy way, which would you prefer?" Two snub-nosed guns and four spacer's knives appeared in the doorway, clutched in the fists of varying crew members. One of them was the chocolate-skinned woman from before.

She resisted the temptation to give the captain a saucy one-fingered salute. Instead, she nodded at Breandon. "I'll be ladylike and let him choose. After all, you did take his clothes."

The captain shifted her gaze to Breandon, who was fingering his own weapon and debating whether or not to reveal it. "Oh, I don't know. Let's do it the easy way. I'm sure we can be civilized about all this, can't we, Captain ... ?"

"Civilized. Hmph. You would go and take all of the fun out of it," Dawn grumbled aloud.

The captain gave the Senshi a thin-lipped smile. "Civilized? I don't think that word exists on this ship, does it?" The majority of the crew behind her mumbled and chuckled in approval.

Breandon faked an innocent expression. "I only wanted to know our captor's name. Is that such a crime?"

"Not yet." The woman in charge struck a sultry pose amidst her crew. "Fehri. You're Rainault, and you're a Senshi. There, introductions." She straightened up and nodded at the pair in her cargo hold. "Now, something seems a bit different here..." Fehri tapped her chin in mock-thoughtfulness. "Ah, yes. Clothes and ropes."

"Oh, how terrible; you noticed. Does this mean we can go now?"

Fehri laughed maliciously, taking a few steps forward. "Not at all, my dears. It merely means I have to disappoint your poor, fragile hopes." She gestured at her crew, who moved into the room.

Dawn stepped closer to Breandon, realizing they were outnumbered three to one. "Got any ideas?"

"You're the Guardian," he said in return, pulling the gun from his pocket. "All I've got is this thing." Half the six crew members shied back, earning dirty looks from their captain.

She rolled her eyes. "We went over this already, but if you insist..." Arrogance guiding her actions, Dawn leered at the nearest gun-wielding crewman and sweetly flipped him off. "Shoot me. I dare ya."

Confused, he looked to the already-displeased captain. "Ma'am?"

Fehri raised a hand in denial. "They're to be unharmed!" She paused, though, and looked at Breandon. "He wasn't part of the contract, though." The expression on her face gave him chills. He kept the gun trained on the dark-skinned woman, though.

At least, right up until he swivelled and fired a carefully modulated shot at Dawn.

The shot caught her in the small of her back, leaving a rapidly-expanding field of burnt skin. She shrieked, body going rigid as she fought to stand her ground. Consciousness wavered for a split second, lavender mist gathering in each hand. Blood trickled from her nose, yet she grinned fiercely at the crew.

"En garde."

A bolt of orchid and rose erupted from her palms. Carefully aimed, it streaked over their heads and blew the door off reinforced hinges. Shrapnel stuck in the console, rendering the intercom and remote ship controls useless.

Everyone in the room promptly scattered, and Breandon found himself with a direct line-of-sight on both Fehri and the dark-skinned woman. Unfortunately, the woman also had a line-of-sight on him, and wielded a gun. Four of the crew members cast one glance at him, another at Dawn, and fled through the new hole in the wall.

Breathing hard, Dawn glanced at the odd stand-off. Hoping for the best, she promptly charged the other woman, leaving Breandon to sort things out with the captain.

"You spineless descendants of a cactus and a willow tree! Your mothers slept with black holes!" Fehri shrieked, flinging a knife at Dawn. "GET AWAY FROM HER!"

Breandon cursed under his breath. No more line-of-sight on either of them. This was rapidly becoming a problem.

The dark-skinned woman backed up against the wall, discarding her gun. Clearly she recognized that it would be no use, after Dawn's display. Instead she brought her own blade up between them.

Three things happened at once then. Fehri flung herself on Dawn; Dawn tried to slap the knife away; and the woman tried to knife Dawn.

The end result was the dark-skinned woman stabbing herself in the upper left shoulder.

"Don't just STAND there!" Dawn yelled, struggling under Fehri's clawing and shrieking. Her hands ached, and the one woman was bleeding profusely. She brought an elbow back into the captain's stomach, and was rewarded with a knee to her kidneys. "Mother loving... get OFF!"

Fehri snarled back, "If Zorya dies I'm holding you responsible."

"Well, it's either your knife or hers that did it," Dawn snapped, the burn on her back rubbed raw by the struggling. "Rainault, what the HELL are you doing?"

"Staying out of your way and tying this woman up ... not that I need to, because she's going to bleed to death."

Fehri immediately flung herself off Dawn and shoved Breandon aside from Zorya, making a vain attempt to stop the bleeding. "I hate you," she hissed, not even looking up. "I didn't hurt you, either of you. I'm just doing what I was paid to do. This was not called for. Zorya, don't die!"

Dawn fell backwards, gritting her teeth in pain. "Paid? Paid for what? Kidnapping us?" A long shallow cut along the inside of her arm, probably from one of the knives, oozed red.

"Obviously. DAMMIT, Zorya, we've gotten this far." Fehri gripped one of Zorya's hands tightly. Breandon sat still, heart hurting for their tragedy. People were people, even if they did get paid for kidnapping. He couldn't be angry any more with that playing out before him.

Red blood bubbled up on Zorya's lips, and she gasped once. "Fehri – !"

"Oh, shit," Dawn breathed. "Where's your medic?" she asked futilely.

Fehri closed the staring brown eyes. "It's too late." She turned around to glare at the two. The ship quivered under their feet.

The Senshi swallowed hard, her stomach knotting itself as cargo hold trembled. "I... I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to happen."

"Sorry won't bring her back!" Fehri lunged to her feet. "Do you know what that tremble meant, Guardian girl?"

Breandon answered. "That was your escape pod taking off. I would imagine it's the only one. You're alone now, Fehri."

She sneered. "You don't know the half of it. My crew may have been cowards, but I'm not. Syrrene will have to take her revenge on your graves!" She spun and flung herself past Dawn up the passageway. Breandon cursed and ran after her.

Dawn glanced back to the body, mumbling prayers under her breath before scrambling to her feet. Up ahead, she could hear screams and slams as the captain flung Valère from her post on the bridge.

Both of them stumbled to a colliding halt in the doorway to the bridge, the sliding door blocked by the body of Valère, now half-conscious. Breandon knelt over the medic's body, supporting her under the arms. Fehri's hands flashed across the boards, and Dawn could see with horror the rapidly approaching asteroid field. Stepping back, the captain drew her laser pistol and fired a single shot directly into the midst of the boards.

The ship shuddered as alarms sounded throughout the bridge. Running towards the captain, Dawn took a flying leap as the main console crackled and sparked.

"Fuck," Breandon spat, heaved Valère out of the doorway and into a semi-recumbent position against a way, and grabbed at a lesser board. "She's completely overridden the crew interlocks."

"Completely?" Dawn shrieked at Fehri, backing her up against the far compartment wall. She reached for the pistol, her own voice frantic. "No navigation? No engines? No nothing?"

A frantic gleam lit Fehri's hazel eyes with hectic gold. She spat at Dawn. "You'll die too. You'll both die. You can't change the course I set," she boasted. "I locked all the crew boards, and the main board is so much plastic and metal now." As if on cue, the thrusters fired, driving the ship into a new position. A rather larger asteroid, the size of a small moon, began to fill up the viewscreen.

Dawn swore violently at the sight of the rapidly approaching rock and ran to meet Breandon. "All the boards? What about the engines? Could we override the AI, or the propulsion, or something?" Fingers twitched frantically, and her voice cracked.

Fehri took advantage of their momentary distraction to blow her brains out. Breandon took a step toward her, but made a disgusted face and returned to the boards. "Unless you can do anything hacker-like, I think we're screwed." From the corner came a low moan.

Dawn shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. She tried to hide panic with concern as she broke away from the console, kneeling next to Valère. "You know of a way out? Or are we honestly going to crash and burn on some no-name rock out in the middle of nowhere?"

Valère's voice was ragged as she replied. "If the main boards are fragged like Fehri said, then I don't think so. Without the main boards, the crew boards are useless. The best you can hope for is a little manoeuvring out of the attitude jets to keep the ship from completely totalling."

Breandon jumped over the crew board he was working on and grabbed at the controls for the attitude thrusters. "I don't know how to work these!"

Dawn gritted her teeth. Altitude. Altitude meant thrusters, which probably meant main engine room. If she managed to make it through this, Dawn promised herself that she would never make fun of her father's sci-fi fascinations ever again. "Which way to main propulsion?" Valère pointed to the doors, then jerked a thumb to the left. The Guardian took off, wondering if three years of 21st century engineering school might be enough to get them to not crash. "Three words, love," she called over her shoulder to Breandon. "All I'm asking for if we make it through this!"

He whacked a tan fist in frustration on the sparking main boards, causing another spray of sparks. "Dammit, Dawn ... " But she was gone already. Grimly he concentrated on the swelling moonlet before them, hoping against hope that somehow their lives would be miraculously spared again.


	12. Wreckage

Chapter Ten – Wreckage 

Dawn awoke to the sound of her own whimpering, dried blood on her cheeks and a monstrous bruise on the back of her head. The shudder of the engines was gone, as was the frantic sounding of the alarms. A panel on the side of the wall displayed the status of the major ship systems. Propulsion was probably fried, after Dawn's frantic hotwiring minutes before the crash. Clearly, they hadn't avoided the asteroid, but waking up meant that she wasn't dead. In this case, waking up not dead was probably the best luck she'd had all day.

Today. Her birthday. Damn.

Breandon crawled over and began to untangle the straps that held Dawn in the captain's chair. "You did it," he said quietly, avoiding her eyes. "We're alive."

Dawn beamed up at him. "That we are, although I must say, I've got a wicked headache coming on." As the straps loosened, she pulled her arms free and flung them around his neck. "Fix me?"

He blinked at her, green-lined pupils still large. "Fix you? Wouldn't you rather the medic did that?"

She closed her eyes and tilted her face up, giddy with the sheer fact that they'd survived, and that he was there with her. "Not like this."

With a shrug, he wrapped his arms around her and heaved her out of the shattered chair. "Where are you hurt, my angel of starry space?"

"Here and there." She managed to get her feet under her, standing slowing. "You? How long have you been awake, anyway?"

"Approximately fifteen minutes. The medic is still unconscious. We should have put you farther back in the hull with us, rather than the captain's chair; our seats held up rather better." He tugged her backward, away from the wreckage of the piloting boards and the captain's chair, back toward the cargo bay. "Can you do what you did with the engines on another machine? We need some data on this place. I'm afraid the heat and air are escaping fast, and I don't know if this rock can sustain us without help."

She managed a nod. "I think so. I mean, it let me override the engines." She rubbed her nose with the back of her hand, "Ship's friendly enough, I suppose." Dawn paused, fingers slowly feeling the bump on her head. "'M sorry for what I said earlier, too," she mumbled.

Finally, Breandon tipped his gaze up to her face. "What was that? You said many things, some of them at the top of your superb voice." His tone was still mild, but she could sense the anger simmering vaguely under the surface.

Her face reddened, but she didn't try to look away. "Mostly everything about saying words and it being more important than anything else." She could feel her throat beginning to tighten, but Dawn didn't bother to stop. "If you never say another word to me again, I'll still manage to know if you love me, or not."

A wave of relief, completely uncalled for under the circumstances, washed through Breandon. She would be reasonable. He was sure that once they were out of this dangerous, life-threatening situation, she would probably revert, at least a little bit, but that was part of what made her Dawn. Thus his voice wavered slightly as he said, "Apology accepted." Grasping her hand a bit tighter, he pulled her again deeper into the ship.

Dawn beamed, allowing herself to be pulled forward into the cargo bay. "Bet we could find your clothes now," she noted. "How about you do that, and I'll talk sweet to the ship. Scruffy doesn't suit you in the least." She gently pulled at his overalls, smile softening to something more tender. "Got it?"

He decided to ignore the clothes remarks. Scruffy was irrelevant right now. "I rather thought we might need some hazmat suits." He pointed down the passageway to a door marked 'Supplies.' "You go talk nicely to th – what's left of the ship. There might be a whole computer left in Enviro-control. And I think we might need a homing beacon. Meet me back here in fifteen minutes?"

"Yup, fifteen." She spun on her heel, strolling up to the panel on the wall. Before, she'd been able to display schematics and manually reverse one of the thrusters. Now, the screen scrolled lazily with commands and processes as it did its own evaluation. Dawn frowned, fingers tapping the wall. No buttons here, no holographic interface for her to pretend to poke and prod. She pursed her lips, wondering if all of the old television shows ever had an ounce of truth to them.

"Hello, computer," she attempted, mostly in jest.

Command lines halted, and a single underscore cursor blinked patiently. Flabbergasted, Dawn tried again. "Systems on-line?"

Emergency life support on-line. Communications inbound only. Propulsion irreparable. Weapons irreparable. Exterior shields at 67 and holding. 

Well, I'll be damned, she thought to herself. "Can I go outside without a helmet?"

Exterior atmosphere can support humanoid life. 

"Guess that's a yes," she mused. Now, for the harder questions...

On the main bridge, debris stirred. The top of a blonde head shifted against a broken chair back for a moment before its owner appeared. Blood marked the pale skin in tiny rivulets, stark and brilliant.

Brushing at the dust greying her space-dark tunic ineffectually with one hand, Valère glanced around the ruin of the bridge. She cradled the other arm close to her chest, palm upward. The room was clearly deserted, and she could hear a female voice querying the computer.

Slowly, she bent and scrabbled in the wreckage for a moment before coming up with something clutched in one hand.

"And inventory? Show me a list of what came on board before this trip," Dawn continued. Having been briefed on all of the major ship systems, she'd concluded that engines were shot and weaponry was non-existent. The chunk of rock, however, had a relatively moderate atmosphere that, at the moment, given their proximity from major stars and planetary systems, it would be habitable for the next few days.

A cough interrupted her. "That computer won't tell you that. Your voiceprint's way wrong," a vaguely familiar, ragged voice told her, at the same time the computer was saying the same thing.

Voice does not match print on file. Cannot access inventory. 

"The only people who could access the inventory lists were Fehri and Zorya." Valère leaned against the wall nearby, still cradling her right arm, and Dawn noticed – funny, what the mind noticed at times like these – that her eyes were violet, a thin line of it surrounding the swollen pupil.

"Oh." Dawn blinked at the medic. "Well, it's not really that important, all things considered," she offered with a calculated shrug. Nodding at the injury, she continued in a guarded tone. "Can I help you with that? If you tell me what I need to do, maybe we can get that bandaged up and kept still until we get help."

The other woman glanced down at it. "It's broken. But thank you." Quiet footsteps sounded along the passageway as Breandon hove into view.

"Suit yourself," she sighed, crossing the room. "Hey, doll?" she called in greeting. "AI says we can play outside if we bundle up. How's that for good news?"

In answer, he held up three sealed packages. "I found dinner. And I ransacked the cabins for clothing, though I doubt it will fit any of us except for her. There are skinsuits in the storage room, though they seem to be sized specifically."

"Dinner works." She turned to size up the medic, who hadn't moved. "Well? Truce, and maybe we can discuss ideas on how to get out of here. How about that?" Dawn extended a hand in Valère's direction, a neutral expression on her face.

Turning to Breandon, Valère knelt, slowly. Whatever was in her left hand hit the floor with a metallic thunk. Keeping the right arm cradled, she leaned over until her forehead touched the floor, then slid the object toward Breandon's feet. It was the gun he'd been wielding.

"You saved my life without cause. I am yours, forever. My honour, my weapon, I lay all at your feet." The words were indistinct, but formal.

Dawn blinked, her jaw hanging open. Of all of the things to have happen, this was entirely unexpected. "You what? Oh, goodness, get up, please." She glanced back frantically to Breandon. "Tell her to get up, she's hurt. This is no time for bowing and scraping."

Breandon, in his turn, hastily passed the food packages over to Dawn and knelt beside the prostrated medic. "She's right, you know," he said softly. "I'm not refusing your sentiments. But this is neither the time nor the place for it. Wait until we are safe, fed, healed and rested, and then I will accept anything you choose to offer. I promise, we will complete the ceremony properly."

Valère raised her head, short blonde waves tumbling around her face. Holding Breandon's gaze steady for a moment, she nodded once, then attempted to rise. She made it about halfway up before crumpling like a plush doll.

Ceremony? An odd wave of jealousy and possessiveness rose within Dawn, but she shoved most of it aside to kneel next to Valère. "Can you get us access to what passes for an infirmary around here? I mean, we want to help you." She sniffed, glancing back to Breandon for a second. "Right?"

Valère's skin, already pale, had begun to take on a greyish tone. Still, her ragged voice was indignant as she replied, "Even here I would not close my workroom to any. The infirmary is open to all. It is shock, from the crash and the broken arm." The hand that lay splayed on the passage floor clenched into a fist. "Help me up."

Her head didn't hurt any more, but something gnawed at Dawn's stomach and etched lines in her forehead and around her mouth. In the glass along one wall, she could see her reflection. Scowling. Unhappy. Jealous. Trying desperately to act like nothing was wrong, and failing miserably.

She rolled over onto her stomach, her fuku replaced with simple cotton shirt and shorts she'd found in a closet. the cabin had probably been Fehri's, considering the size and proximity to the bridge, but knowing that she had the run of the former captain's cabin didn't make her feel any better. Thoughts keep going back to Valère's actions towards Breandon, how she'd more or less offered herself as a slave to him just because they hadn't blown her away when they'd had the chance. Letting out a "hmph", she toyed with her hair in an effort to distract herself, Where the hell _was_ Breandon, anyway?

The nearly-silent whoosh of the door closing appeared to provide some answer to that. Still sulky, Dawn refused to roll over and make sure it _was_ Breandon, until warm, imperfectly dried hands landed on her shoulders. She hadn't noticed her skin being chilled until then.

"Did you find anything interesting, my angel of the sunrise?" Breandon murmured in her ear. Settling his weight on the bed beside her, he began to massage her shoulders.

"No." She dropped her head to rest on her hands, eyes closing. "Why, did you?" Voice dry and terse, Dawn willed herself to ignore the backrub or the tantalizing whisper in her ear.

"Yes, I did. She's right here."

She shrugged, muscles tense and knotted along her back and shoulders. "Really. Even though I'm not throwing myself at your feet for strapping me into the chair before?"

Voice smooth and unruffled, he asked, "Are you angry at her for offering, or me for accepting?"

Accepting? Dawn's head jerked up from the pillow, her face red with fury. "Accepting what, exactly? Servitude? Something more? Or, is this one of those things that I'm not cultured enough to understand?" Fingers clawed at the bedspread while she glared at Breandon. "I'm angry just... dammit, just because," she finished, gritting her teeth.

"I would hardly expect you to understand all the myriad cultures contained within the Lunar Kingdom, Dawn," he returned, a hint of amusement in his tone. "I merely accepted her gratitude for saving her life. Would you not do the same?"

"Depends upon the form of gratitude." Dawn's nastiest expression graced her face, the attempt comical in such a misunderstood situation. "How does one say, 'thank you' in space pirate medic, huh?"

Still massaging Dawn's back in slow, circular motions, Breandon commented slowly, "You know, I don't think she was always a mercenary. Or even a mercenary for very long. She seemed rather subordinate." Rolling over onto his back and propping the free arm behind his head, he went on, "Admit it. You're jealous."

Her eyes welled up with tears, frustration and unhappiness and fear all combining to make her face crumple. "I'm terribly jealous," she admitted, voice cracking. "And homesick. And I hate the future," she finally declared, burying her face in the bedspread while she shook furiously with tears.

'Oh, dear ... ' Regretfully sighing, Breandon rolled back over and put his arms around Dawn. "I will try to get you back to your own time, beloved child of the past," he murmured. "For now, I need you to be strong so we can get back to Crystal Tokyo." Leaning his face against the silk of her hair, he held her tightly.

She turned to her side to bury her face in his shoulder, feeling small burrowed into his chest. Dawn clung to him. wetting the front of his clothes with tears. "I'm trying," she whimpered, willing herself to stop crying. Sobs turned to sniffles, and she finally managed to turn her head to the side.

"I don't hate all of the future, just the bad parts," she offered softly. "Getting kidnapped and stored in a cargo hold and crashing who-knows-where on one's birthday counts as one of the bad parts, though."

Slowly, he stroked her hair. "I'm sure it does. Why don't we do something to make it better?" Breandon pressed his mouth to the top of her head.

She nodded in agreement, relaxing her grip on his clothing ever so slightly. "I'd like that." A long shuddering breath escaped her lips before she lifted her head. "You're not upset about me being jealous?"

He shook his head. "When I was I ever upset about that?" A gentle smile curved his lips. "I had a gift for you, before we were so rudely interrupted this morning. I doubt the lady captain threw it away."

"Really?" Dawn managed a smile as she traced the collar of the overalls he still wore. "You didn't have to do anything. Besides, we made it to tonight in decent health, so that's really gift enough," she pointed out.

Carefully disengaging from her, he walked over to a smooth panel of wall and placed a hand against it. A drawer sprang outward, and he picked up a small black box before shutting the drawer again. "I disagree," Breandon said, leaning over the bed with the box held on one outstretched palm.

Sitting up cross-legged, Dawn gingerly lifted the lid to reveal an exquisite jewellery set. Opals winked and glittered back at her, delicate drop earrings on either side of an intricate necklace that held three distinctly different kinds of the stone. She drew in her breath slowly, unable to speak for the first few moments. Fingers ran over the earrings and she looked up at Breandon, still at a loss for words.

"I asked ... a friend ... what the birthstone associations were for the Earth you come from. Sh – They said October was the opal." He flicked a finger at the box. "Will you wear them, when we get back?"

"Of course I will." Dawn leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "They're lovely, doll. Thank you." The smile she gave him was soft, love in big brown eyes that crinkled at the corners in happiness.

Breandon pouted slightly. "That's all I get? Just a kiss on the cheek?"

She took the box from him and set it beside her. "Of course not," she teased, gently pulling him closer. "It just seemed like a good place to start, that's all." A hand stroked his cheek as she kissed him longingly on the mouth.

Control shot out the airlock at the touch of her mouth. Grabbing both wrists, Breandon bore Dawn down to the bed and began to tear at her clothing.

She let out a short cry of surprise, but her own hands sought the buttons on his coveralls after a moment. She paused as the cotton tee was pulled off over her head, but managed to get a few more buttons undone. Even then, Dawn found herself gasping for air.

Breandon retained just enough sense of himself to issue two commands to the computer, locking the door and dimming the lights. Then all that remained to his world was red hair and a willing, pale-skinned body.

Dawn attempted to sit up, trying to peel the sleeves from his shoulders.

* * *

"Lost? What do you mean, LOST?" Both Princess and Queen stared in horror at the holoscreen as Captain London gave them the bad news. Clearly, he'd drawn the short straw again, forced to deliver the message to Serenity while his second in command received a thorough chewing-out from Commander Greynn. True, it had been his team's responsibility to watch for Dawn in the square, and it had been the fault of the dozing port attendant who hadn't so much as blinked when the merc ship had docked. Still...

"How do you lose a Guardian. London?" Rini stepped in front of her mother, only marginally more upset than Serenity. Twin pink tails shook as she screamed at his image. "You have a security detail of fifteen officers, including two partial empaths and the ability to call on my mother's personal circle of officers and military confidantes! How could you LOSE her?" She pounded a fist on the table in frustration.

London sighed, his expression weary. "When bounty hunters set their sights on someone, Your Highness – "

"Bounty hunters?" This time, Serenity interrupted, the pitch of her voice her only concession to fear and worry. "Captain London, how do bounty hunters get into MY spaceport?"

"Your Majesty, I – "

She cut him off, livid. "Listen to me, you inattentive jackass. You find out who issued the bounty, what ships came in this week, who might be so asinine as to kidnap a Lunar citizen, and get me the answers within the hour, or so help me, I'll send you on a recon mission to the furthest edge of the Thillacrin belt!"

A mumbled "Yes, Your Majesty," was the only reply she received as the Captain blinked out. The screen now dark, Serenity sank into an armchair. Her daughter chose the less graceful option of the floor, head resting in her hands.

"When was the last time you saw her?" Serenity rubbed her temples, trying to remain calm. "Last night? This morning?"

"Last night." Rini didn't lift her head. "We left early from the dinner; she went to bed halfway through the movie after that."

"And today?"

Rini shrugged. "Something about meeting Rainault for breakfast, I dunno."

The Queen rose, pulling her daughter up by the arm. "Young lady, put your personal issues aside and start acting like an adult. This is serious." She pushed the teenager ahead of her into the hallway. "Until she is found and returned to the palace, you are confined to family quarters."

"MOM!"

Serenity glowered. "No Guardian, no leaving," she dictated. "Maybe that will mean more to you than the fact that one of our Senshi has been kidnapped." Furious with both London and the Princess, she took off down the hall at an almost-run. Serenity required answers, and a trip to LISA headquarters was in order.

"Ma'am?" Theo nodded crisply to the harried Queen. "We may know who's responsible for the abduction." Bloodshot eyes proved that a certain father-to-be hadn't been sleeping well. "There are two possible witnesses down at the spaceport. We're holding them for smuggling Zixiac rum through Vegan space, but..."

"But what?"

"It's the _Coqui Malo_. If anyone would know about a bounty on a Senshi, it'd be them."

* * *

It took Dawn a minute to remember where she'd gone to sleep and why she'd been curled up against Breandon, his warm breath even on her shoulders. The events of the past twenty-four hours came back, accompanied by an uneasiness in her stomach and a residual thrill of having made it this far. Light from twin suns glinted off the mirrored wall, catching the fire in her hair as she rolled to her side to watch him sleep. She brushed long strands away from his cheek, content to bask in her namesake between cool sheets.

Eyes half-closed, Dawn let her mind wander while her fingertips grazed his face. Did it matter that he couldn't tell her that he loved her without resorting to a myriad of images and countless caresses? Was it just the words? The action? The gravity of four letters strung together, the meaning so dear and so cherished that even Dawn had refrained from saying it until the day she'd come back to him. Maybe things were that much different in this time. Her fingertips slowed, one eyebrow traced with ever-gentle hands. Perhaps... perhaps she'd simply have to accept that she'd never hear him echo her sentiments. The thought sobered her, and she sank back into the pillows.

Feathery touches to his face roused Breandon from a light doze. The double brightness of twin suns speared through the viewport, barely cut by the thin atmosphere of wherever they'd crashed. He winced and slitted his eyes against the glare. "Dawn." His voice was low and scratchy with sleep.

"Mmm?" Her hand found his under the sheets. "Morning," she offered softly, her expression wistful. "How are you feeling?"

"Like a limp noodle, if you want the truth," he returned, squeezing her hand gently. It had been a long time since there had been a woman in his life who could wear him out. He closed peridot eyes as the worries began to set in. "Can I go back to sleep?"

"If you want." Her tone and expression belied her words. "I can just lie here." Rolling over, she eased herself against his chest, wondering if she could truly just remain still and quiet.

He sighed deeply. "I don't particularly want to be here either."

"I know." Somehow, not looking at him made it easier to talk. "They'll find us, though. The distress signal still worked. And really, there are few situations where we can say that no one's going to come and bother us."

Staring at the ceiling, he pursed his lips, then said, "Well, in that case, do you want to go ahead and have that fight you're spoiling for? I'm pretty sure Valère will leave us alone."

"I said I wasn't going to bring it up again, and that it didn't matter." She balled up tighter, knees to her chest. "So you're not ever going to say it, fine. I'll, I'll get used to it. Somehow."

"It wouldn't mean anything if I said it now," he pointed out.

"That's not true," she countered. "It wouldn't mean anything if you didn't want it to mean anything. You're eloquent, you know it's as much about the way you say something as it is about the actual words."

"If that's true, why are the specific words so important? Do you not derive the exact same meaning from the words I prefer to use?"

"Not really. Actions outweigh words, but..." Oh, this man frustrated her to no end! Eyes closed and she let out a long breath. "It's the simplicity and the pureness of those specific ones that make them mean more."

"That's nonsense, and you know it."

"It's not nonsense to me."

"You have a strange idea of how reciprocity in a relationship works."

"I..." Dawn rolled over roughly to face him. "Reciprocity? You're saying that I'm selfish? Selfish to ask that you – wait, no, I'm not going to continue this." She pushed herself up, sheets falling free as she stood with her back to him. "I'll stop being selfish and so utterly demanding of your affections and energies, and I'll make myself useful to get us back home."

"Nobility would become you far better if you didn't get so angry before you employed it. You can't seriously expect me to fall for that guilt trip, Dawn." He lay, infuriatingly calm as ever, gazing at her with amused eyes.

"Don't patronize me," she snapped, folding her arms across her chest.

He merely looked at her. "What more can you want from me? You have my body, my mind, my heart. I have defied the very Guardian of Time herself for you. If these actions are not enough to satisfy your voracious desires, then perhaps we should part upon our return to Crystal Tokyo." He hoped the formality would disguise the severe pangs caused by even thinking those words, much less uttering them.

Her throat tightened and hot tears wet her cheeks. All this lost for three simple words, was it really worth the loss and the pain? Was she truly that selfish to demand that from him, when he had given her every other piece of himself willingly? Naked and vulnerable, Dawn slowly turned to face him. Her voice remained steady, even as her entire body trembled. Just a simple answer, please. "Do you love me?"

Rising to his knees, Breandon met her gaze. Thumbs smeared the tearstreaks on her cheeks as his mouth met hers. When, after a short moment, he lifted away, he said, "As long as you must ask, that is the only answer I will give. Words mean nothing when required."

Dawn choked back a sob, hands wiping at her face. "I... I'm going to go check the beacon," she croaked out, snatching up the clothing she'd worn the night before. "They'll be worried, especially with the escape pods gone..." Her chest tight with worry, she hurriedly pulled the shirt over her head.

As the door slid shut behind her, Breandon whispered, "You are a fool." He could have meant either one of them.

Valère met Dawn on her way down the passageway. "There's been no response to the distress signal yet. It may be because we are too far off the usual space lands, or simply because this is a mercenary ship with mercenary codes." The medic's arm was encased in a cast, her eyes and skin clear from the marks of shock.

"Figures." Dawn paused, eyes trained on the floor for a moment. "I owe you an apology, ma'am," she began, the tinge of formality the only way she figure to show some degree of respect. "My actions haven't been the kindest, and you didn't deserve any of that attitude beforehand." She bobbed her head once, still wiping her eyes. "I'm truly sorry."

Valère laid a hand on Dawn's shoulder. "Shock makes us do strange things." She smiled, a gentle and somehow distant smile. "I accept your apology and forgive you." Taking her hand from Dawn's shoulder, she continued, "I shouldn't worry about the lack of response yet. It will have taken some time for the authorities to trace the ship."

"Yeah, well," Dawn muttered. "I've got another lack of response to worry about. At the moment, it appears as if we'll be found before he says anything."

But Valère only smiled again and continued down the passageway to the infirmary. Dawn took a few steps towards the bridge, then abruptly turned back. "Um, ma'am? Can I ask you something?"

About to enter the infirmary, Valère paused. "Yes?"

"What was that ceremony he was talking about before?" She scratched nervously at a dry patch along her elbow. "I'm not that cultured or familiar with things, and I think I might have, um..." Dawn trailed off, eyes on the floor. "Jumped to the wrong conclusions."

Valère appeared to pause for thought for a moment. "Oh." She looked a little shamefaced. "He saved my life without cause. I owe him fealty now, until I may make an equivalent trade."

"Oh." Dawn winced, her previous fears clearly for nothing. "I get it." Shoulders slumped, but she tried to give the medic a cheerful smile. "I'd assumed something, and it was wrong, and boy, am I stupid." She rubbed at her face with her hands. "How long do you think we have until someone finds us?"

"It is impossible to predict. We could be found in the next moment by a mercenary ship, or not found until you are missed from the Lunar Kingdom." The other woman shrugged. "I do not know how powerful the beacon is, either. You seem to be good with technology; could you possibly strengthen it? It would be a way to pass the time."

A lopsided grin found its way to Dawn's face. "Ma'am, you might not believe it, but I'm not even out of school yet. I just fix things on dumb luck." Hands found pockets, and Dawn glanced in the direction of the bedroom. Attempt an apology, or distract oneself with the ship's transmitter... a tough choice, but the Guardian was no fool. "But hey, I don't have anything better to do, until things clear up. Might as well be useful." A shrug, and she headed back for the bridge. "Thanks," she offered over her shoulder.

"You are indeed welcome, sister." The infirmary door whooshed shut.

* * *

"Afternoon, ladies." Kis' blonde hair was twisted up in a messy tail, her work uniform relatively clean. She set a paper bag on the ground, the contents clinking as she pulled up a chair. "Y'all are mine, now," she drawled, sitting down and smiling a little too wide at the pair in the cell. "Know why you're here?"

The blue-skinned Kiilian answered Kis with a snarl. "No reason. You've got no call to keep us here."

Kis arched an eyebrow. "No?" She glanced to the other woman whose unruly dark curls were kept back with a tattered red bandanna. "What about you, baby girl?" In reply, Ili offered a smooth and fluid one-fingered salute, complete with a saucy kiss. Kis chuckled and reached into the bag, pulling out a slightly dusty bottle of smuggler's rum. "Y'got spunk, I'll give you that. Good taste, too. This is some good shit." Raising the bottle, she proceeded to take a long obnoxious pull from the bottle.

Kali screeched in outrage while Ili merely sat up a little straighter, adjusting the blue-tinted glasses that perched on her nose. "Half a bottle of that's enough to make a Thoqualian pass out," she noted.

"Well, if I'm asleep and you're still in there, then you'll be spending the night." She set the bottle next to her. "Admiral's not going to say anything either." Kis grinned at Kali, enjoying the animated display of rage and perceived injustice. "So, we got a missing Guardian, and rumour has it that she was taken by some bounty hunters." Fingers closed around the neck of the bottle. "Heard anything about it?"

"We didn't take your Guardian, you crazy rum-stealing bitch!" Kali shrieked.

Kis leered as if to say 'Wrong answer' and brought the bottle to her lips again.

"We don't have her and didn't have a part in the transport, but that doesn't mean we didn't consider the offer," Ili offered smoothly. "Share?"

"Who made the offer?" Kis countered.

The merc captain waggled a finger from behind the bars. "You share, then I share."

Kis obliged, pulling a tin cup from the bag and filling it to the brim. Handing it to the captain, she distinctly heard Kali whimper. "Yes?"

"Mine?"

"You're not cooperating," Kis pointed out, setting the bottle down. "You know who put out the bounty on the Guardian?"

The first officer turned to her captain, red eyes pleading. "Ili, c'mon, just one sip, a little taste."

"You know ship rules. Share everything else, but you're on your own for drinks." She knocked back the rum with a flourish.

Kali gave an agonized wail, hastily snatching up the cup and running her fingers along the inside for a few precious drops. "Just let me know who pit out the call," Kis repeated, enjoying herself. "I'll give you the other bottle to share."

"Share?" The cellmates exchanged glances, the silence an odd occurrence among them.

Kis grinned and took a swig, knowing full well she'd be too drunk to stand if she took another swallow. "Share. Think you can maybe give me a little..."

"Arronné family. Syrrene put two out, one on the Guardian and one on her hot boy-toy that Syrrene couldn't have. _CopperHawk_'s crew probably took it, since Fehri's crazy as shit and stupid enough to believe that the Arronnés pay bounties." Ili put her hand out for the bottle.

True to her word, Kis relinquished the rum. "And you?" She waggled a full bottle at Kali, grinning. "Anything you'd like to add for your very own bottle?"

Ten minutes later, a very drunk officer trudged out of the spaceport, the formulas for the _CopperHawk_'s energy signature scrawled on the chest area of her uniform. True, her methods were unconventional, but for once, the Admiral probably wouldn't care.

* * *

She needed a shower. Fingers ran through slightly greasy hair before she twisted the auburn mass back up with a carefully-placed hinge pin. Dawn sighed audibly, neck and shoulders sore from having crouched under a console all morning. Now, her stomach demanded food, and she assumed that her companions would probably want the same thing. Kneeling on the floor of the galley, she methodically began to pull up floorplates, searching the stores for something remotely edible.

Approaching footsteps echoed off the walls. "Dawn?" Breandon stopped short in the door, confronted with Dawn's rear end. "Ah, Dawn?"

"Mmm?" She sat back on her heels, pulling up a metal box of dried produce. "Oh, hey doll. Hungry?" She gestured to her find. "We might not starve after all."

He crouched beside her, taking the box from her hand and tipping it back and forth. "I'm more concerned about the lack of water. I think the crash damaged some of the water purification system. The supply has been getting steadily lower over the last three days."

She chewed on her lip, nodding slowly. "Well, probably. I could try to fix it, but I might do more harm than good." Rubbing her neck, Dawn looked down at the storage space. She doubted there was much more than what she'd found, and certainly no spare water jugs. "And I think I upped the beacon signal," she offered wearily. "If someone bothered to look this far out, we'd be found in a heartbeat."

Breandon held up his hand for silence. "I hear voices." The pair strained their ears.

"The scan turned up three lifesigns, ma'am."

"Right. Split up and search the ship. Bring back anything that looks salvageable while you're at it. Make it so."

"Ma'am!"

Breandon looked at Dawn. "Maybe you should change your name to Cassandra."

She blinked. "Maybe." Carefully, she slid to the far side of the galley, doing her best not to make any noise. "Or maybe I'll just henshin and hope they have – " The door slid open, Dawn's brilliant plan cut short by their visitor. She stared up guiltily, unsure of how to respond.

Their discoverer appeared equally surprised at the young woman on the floor, even as a small phaser swung down to target her chest. "Are you alone?"

The soft chink of a blaster being drawn from the holster answered her. "Don't point that at her. The ship's bad enough off as it is."

Running footsteps interrupted the stand-off, as a pale figure burst into the room. "Athenée, Rivka found Valè ... why are you pointing a blaster at these people? They're refugees, not prisoners."

Athenée twisted to look at the newcomer, setting her long silver braids swirling around her legs. "This is the ship that captured Zorya and Valère. Therefore – don't move!" she snapped as Breandon began to kneel by Dawn. "Therefore, these two must have had a part in it."

"Aw, hell."

Dawn rolled her eyes, hands raised palm up. "Um, no. Sorry to disappoint you, but we'd make lousy kidnappers." She twisted back to see Breandon. "Doll, let's put that away. You'll scare the pretty lady, okay?" A forced smile on her face, she glanced over to the fourth person. "We got taken hostage by Fehri three or four days ago. Valère's been taking care of us, that's all."

Athenée's blaster sagged, and an expression of grief passed over her face. Placing an arm around her shoulders, the newcomer began to guide her toward the door. "You two come along," she ordered. Breandon exchanged a glance with Dawn, then shrugged and tucked the blaster away.

She scrambled to her feet ungracefully, reaching for his hand. "Is this a good thing?" she whispered, voice steady as her hand trembled.

"Since clearly there's some reunion of long-lost crew members here, I don't think we're going to be left behind. Whether we get back to Crystal Tokyo ... " he whispered back, gripping her hand. "If you think you can manage it, let me do the talking."

"Okay." Swallowing hard, she stayed close to him as they followed these new people down the hallways. "No Senshi, either?"

"Not until we know whose side they're on."

"'Kay." She squeezed his hand, more for her own reassurance than his. "Love you, doll," she murmured before they stopped in front of the infirmary.

They entered the room, to find Valère being embraced by a tiny, voluptuous woman bearing familiar Lunar captain's stars on her sleeve. Breandon tugged Dawn over to the side of the room that seemed least occupied. "Valère, is this our rescue?"

"This is Rivka, captain of the _Basilikya_," she replied fondly. "My captain," she added, a note of pride in her voice.

Breandon swept a bow. "My pleasure." Dawn decidedly didn't like the way he eyed the captain. "May I assume, my lady, that you will be our transport off this barren planet?" he continued.

"You may not." Rivka drew herself up as much as her height allowed, eyeing Breandon doubtfully. "That would be up to your caretaker, I believe."

"But – " Dawn blurted out, promptly covering her mouth to stifle further outbursts.

Breandon turned to Valère politely, who knelt before Rivka, bracing one hand on the floorplates. "Chavi Rivka, I have sworn my life to this man."

"Why?"

"I kneel, living, before you today as a result of his actions and those of the woman who is his partner."

Rivka glanced over at Breandon and Dawn, silver eyes thoughtful and narrow. Valère continued, "Fehri is dead due to them." She looked up at her captain, and matching cruel smiles widened the mouths of all the women in the room except Dawn.

Rivka walked over to Breandon, thumbs thrust into her belt, and circled him slowly. Brilliantly red hair brushed the floorplates. Dawn didn't like the way the captain eyed Breandon, either. She hugged his arm a bit more tightly, possessively.

Breandon tried not to watch the captain circle him like some kind of female vulture, and began to study the other women who had come with her. The one called Athenée had hair as long as Rivka's, twined in a pair of long braids. A spacer's jumpsuit showed off a tall, lean body, as far different from Rivka's as bananas are from apples. The woman next to her, lounging familiarly against a bulkhead, looked enough like Breandon remembered Zorya looking to be her twin – tall, dark-skinned, dark-haired, with glittering blue-green eyes.

Dawn's fingers nudging him in the side brought him back from idle musings. Chavi Rivka stood before him, flanked by her crew, hands on hips. "If we take you off this rock, that will settle the lifedebt between you and Valère. You saved her life, we save yours. Once you are returned home, there will be no more bonds between us. Agreed?"

Breandon never hesitated. He thrust his hand out immediately, grasping Rivka's and shaking it. "Agreed."

"You two got anything else you need off this hulk?"

Dawn cleared her throat a bit more noisily than she'd intended. "I do, ma'am, if you wouldn't mind." Slightly intimidated by the red-tressed captain, the Guardian bobbed her head in a submissive fashion. "It was my birthday back when we got kidnapped, and I got a little trinket. Nothing fancy, but it's awfully special and, well..." She offered a half-smile to Breandon as well as the rest of the crew. "Two minutes to get it, please, ma'am?"

Rivka gestured toward the door. "Valère, you should get your gear from the infirmary as well. Go with her."

Breandon wrapped an arm around Dawn's shoulders briefly, then pushed her gently toward the door. "Go on, love."

Dawn's step faltered slightly at the last word, prompting her to nearly trip through the entry. It was close enough, as far as she was concerned. One hand remained on the wall as she turned back. She bestowed a giddy smile upon Breandon, unable to keep from giggling. He'd almost said it, really. He'd managed to say the word in direct reference to her, even after all of the sniping and arguing they'd done. "Going," she laughed. "Love you," she added in parting, not bothering to wait for any sort of response.


	13. Rescue

Chapter Eleven – Rescue 

"Any sign of them?" The Princess hovered over a poor ensign who was trying to hack a communication channel that bore a common smuggler signature. The young woman couldn't have been more than seventeen which most likely made this impromptu mission on the SLS _Hermes_ her first non-training assignment. Having the Princess not less than a foot away didn't seem to be making things any easier.

"Ma'am, you might want to take a look at this." Kis called across the bridge, She tapped a panel for emphasis. While the first officer was certain the Her Highness had the best intentions in mind, she probably didn't realize that she was making the decryption go ten times more slowly just by standing there.

After a final glance at the decryption attempts, Rini stood beside the tall athletic blonde. "What's this?"

"Remnants of an escape pod. Looks like the fuel cartridge ruptured just after takeoff," Kis mused quietly. "No DNA scans corresponding to either of our two, but that pod is common on merc shipping vessels." She drummed her fingers lightly on the console, a relatively calm reaction compared to the Princess' audible humming and pacing.

"Ma'am?" Both the Princess and Kis turned at the formal address, prompting the ensign to tremble. Attention definitely made the poor thing jumpy. "There's an odd signature coming from the Ieraz belt. The encryption seems to be based on a Lunar algorithm, but the frequency is definitely one that's used on a merc ship." She swallowed hard, trembling as Kis approached her.

"Baby girl, no one is going to bite your head off," she began gently, ruffling the young woman's blue curls. "If you're saying that it's in the Ieraz belt, then that's close enough to warrant a more specific scan." She reached down and transferred the data from the newly-found wreckage to the ensign's post. "Run me an analysis on that, and get me a theta-correlation plot between that, the frequency you just found, and a standard Lunar distress frequency." The ensign nodded, breathing a quick sigh of relief as she began to run the algorithms.

Kis ducked out, offering the Princess a brief nod and salute as she left the bridge. She took the lift a few levels down, striding into the galley with a no-nonsense air. She stopped briefly at one of the panels, ordering herself a large glass of fruit juice before continuing to the back of the room. Captain London sat with a morose expression on his face, a small and highly illegal device in his hands as he nursed a cup of something that smelled strongly of Jack Daniels laced with a minute amount of coffee.

"So, found anything else about that ship that Ili described?" She'd handed London the specs she'd gotten from her interrogation, sacrificing one of her uniforms in the process. The energy signature had been programmed into the ship's computer prior to leaving the spaceport, but she'd taken wicked delight in throwing a slightly sweaty tank top of hers at London and declaring that there was his data for the search and rescue.

"Go away... ma'am," he added gruffly, the title tacked on as an afterthought. "I'm busy." He fiddled with the knobs, tapping at the crystalline screen as he tried to get the scanner to pick up the signal.

Kis ignored him and perched on the edge of the table. "You know you aren't supposed to have one of those," she noted with an air of amusement. "Portable hailing devices don't belong on Lunar Navy ships."

"It's not a portable hailing device," he sneered as the display jumped to life. "It's a grave robber."

One of Kis' blonde eyebrows shot skyward at the name. "Excuse me?"

"A grave robber," he repeated, keying in the current coordinates of the _Hermes_ and her standard signatures. Grubby fingers were surprisingly deft and accurate, and the smell of whiskey belied unusually adept motions. "Smugglers use it to find abandoned ships and crash sites to raid. By the time the ships emit enough of a radiation signal for this to pick up the signal, they're usually – "

The first officer cut him off sharply. "Right. Well, you're the one whose ass is going to get hauled out to the Thillacrin belt if we don't find them in a satisfactory amount of time," she threatened. "So call your toy another name and keep looking." With a swift, fluid motion, she snatched up his coffee. "And if I catch you drinking on this ship, I'm gonna keelhaul you in deep space. Got it?" She received a grunt in reply, which was satisfactory considering London's personality. She'd kept calm throughout the entire search and rescue mission, refusing to call it a 'recovery' and opening admonishing anyone who referred to the mission as such. London had received his fair share of wrath from the Princess, but Kis had yet to give him an earful of how she felt about his inability to keep a watch on the Guardian. She scowled back at him, visibly upset. Breandon was her friend, not simply an escort for an important member of the extended Lunar family, and she had made it known within hours of departure that she held him personally responsible for bringing them back alive.

And here he was, spiking his coffee and using prohibited equipment to scan the region for wreckage. Emptying the contents of the cup in a nearby plant, Kis was on her way out just as a low-pitched hum resonated from the corner of the galley.

"Still gonna keelhaul me?" London shot a cocky grin from where he sat, the display flickering vivid blue and yellow. "There's a decaying signal that's coming from an asteroid cluster within range of a shuttle." He paused before sliding his boots off the table and standing up. "I've got one fuelled and waiting, if you'd like to join me."

Kis barked a laugh before swiping the device out of his hand. "I think I'll go solo. Besides," she noted with a wink. "You're drunk. I'll take care of the recon personally."

* * *

Breandon led Dawn out of the airlock, bouncing slowly across the deserted surface of the asteroid. Linked to the crew of the _Basilikya_ by EVA cord, the group made their way to the cutter. The trip up to the spaceship was brief, a slight jolt of engines to break free of the low gravity, then gentle manoeuvring to dock. A whoosh accompanied the opening of the airlock to the interior of the ship. Slowly, Rivka, Zehra, Valère, and Athenée filed out. Breandon paused at the opening. "Permission to come aboard, ma'am?"

Rivka also paused, about to leave the hangar. She gazed at the pair for a long moment. "Permission granted. Welcome to the _Basilikya_. Valère, please help them get settled."

The medic gave a slight nod and motioned for them to follow. The ship was decidedly better lit and better maintained than their previous home. Aesthetic, functional, clean... Dawn passed a gentle hand over the walls of the compartment as they walked. Valère finally turned, the corner of her mouth raised in what might have been amusement.

"I gather you've never seen a ship of this calibre?" Amusement tinged her words as the other woman nodded enthusiastically.

"She's lovely," Dawn breathed, currently enamoured with a series of engraved panels. Her fingers traced over what might have been an inscription.

Valère came over and ran her fingers over the panel. "She's only the fourth one commissioned of her type. She's an experimental ship, but we've never had any problems with her." She turned back down the passageway, motioning them to follow. "Your room is this way. I'm actually the science officer, so we're putting you in the rooms that would belong to our medic if we had one."

Dawn hurried up, slipping her hand into Breandon's. "Rooms? More than one?"

Valère laughed a little. "I misspoke; it's a bedroom and a bathroom. On a ship this size we can't really have anything more. Both rooms are pretty large, though. _Suncross _class ships are supposed to have a crew of six, but we only have five, and Paladin. Four, now." Her face fell. "So, like I said, you'll be in the medic's quarters." She waved a hand in front of a gold panel set about shoulder height, and a door slid open. "Here."

Dawn's eyes widened as the open door revealed a modest compartment overshadowed by a large window that took up nearly three-fourths of the wall. A trio of moons hung in the sky as the current focal point of the mural, the infinite expanse beyond making the room appear far larger than it was. "Holy shit," she breathed, not able to take a step forward. "This is amazing. I – wow. Wow. This, this is just... wow."

Breandon pushed Dawn into the room. "Thank you, Valère." He turned and took the science officer's hands. "For everything."

Valère smiled. "I'll leave you two to settle in."

Hands pressed against the glass, Dawn marvelled at the display outside the ship. She'd have to think of a really nice thank-you later, since she doubted one could send flowers or thank you cards to mercenaries. "Bren?" Her breath condensed against the glass as she spoke. "Is there anything more we're supposed to do? Something that wouldn't offend them, of course. I just think we should do more than just trade life debts or whatnot." She finally pried herself away from the scenery. "Not that it's trite, but... am I making any sense?"

He perched on the edge of the huge bed and looked thoughtful. "Well, I'm sure Queen Serenity will want to thank them personally. You're a pretty important person, you know. It's possible you could ask her for some trade concessions or something for them.

"Or you could just ask them how you can help."

* * *

Breandon lounged back in the galley chair, one hand curled around the cup of white coffee. "So you were only looking for Valère and Zorya? Lucky for us it was Fehri who kidnapped us." He cocked an eyebrow at Athenée, who looked slightly abashed.

"She wasn't after you," Valère put in, curled up against Zehra's chair and clinging to the dark woman's hand as if she still couldn't believe her good fortune.

Breandon commented, "I remember her saying that. Fehri was only after Dawn?"

Tapping a fingernail against the table, Athenée nodded. "After Kali and Ili flubbed the contract on you, the bounty on Dawn was doubled. But, again after what happened with the _Coqui Malo_, nobody but Fehri was crazy enough to take a contract on a Guardian Senshi. I would have expected you guys to blow her sky high, actually. Remarkable restraint."

Stars slid by the viewport in rainbow streaks as Breandon contemplated that. "You didn't mean that as an insult, I hope."

Athenée's hazel eyes slid away. "Senshi don't have a good rep in our part of space."

Breandon let it pass, intent on other things. "If you don't mind telling me, how did Valère and Zorya end up on the _CopperHawk_, anyway?"

Zehra's hand came down to rest on Valère's hair, and the tiny blonde hid her face in the other woman's thigh. "Zorya was her lover," Valère responded, her voice muffled.

"I gathered that." Breandon was patient.

Zehra took over the tale. "Zorya liked to meet Fehri on Cluster Station. It was on our route anyway, regular stop every four weeks. I don't know how Fehri explained it to her ragtag of a crew. They would meet at a bar in there and go off on their own for hours at a time. Valère ... followed them, one night, and Fehri caught her."

"They were more than just lovers," Valère interrupted, her voice ragged. "They were smuggling Batanai firedrops. Fehri would pick them up on Batana and pass them on to Zorya, who distributed them along our usual route."

Breandon felt his face going pale. Batanai firedrops were deadly jewellery, expensive crystal teardrops filled with a powerful explosive. They couldn't be manufactured, only grown, and only on Batana. Even harvesting them could be deadly. High-class assassins would sometimes coat the crystals with a contact poison or skin irritant, using them against high society targets. Their export was closely regulated throughout civilized space. Queen Serenity had outlawed them within the Moon Kingdom.

Valère caught his gaze and nodded. "Chavi Rivka has a rule, on the _Basilikya_. Nothing dangerous. We don't do anything that would harm people. Zorya ... "

"Zorya didn't care." Zehra's voice was very quiet. "She cared when Valère confronted her with it, though. She holed one of our solar sails and fled to the _CopperHawk_, taking Valère as her hostage. By the time we got the sail replaced, they had a three day advantage on us. We've been tracking them ever since."

"We caught up to them once," Athenée said. "Fehri told us if we tried to board her, she'd shoot Valère. So we had to back down."

A line of tears left a shimmering path on Valère's face. "I tried to run away. After that, she locked me in the infirmary whenever the _Hawk_ made port."

Breandon gazed distantly at the galley wall, unable to look their pain in the face any more. After a few moments, he cleared his throat. "Is ... if there's anything I can do, please ask."

Zehra shook her head. "That's up to Rivka." Her hand moved ceaselessly on Valère's curly hair, back and forth, back and forth.

Dawn had remained asleep for a while longer after Breandon had left, completely oblivious to the beginnings of the conversation in the galley. Sleep had been thankfully dreamless, leaving the Guardian fairly well-rested. Warm, rested, fairly safe, all of the basic needs had been satisfied. Unfortunately, the haphazard hairstyle from a few days past had become a fierce tangle of knots within the course of the nap. Her fingers managed some of the largest snarls, but even after several minutes of such attentions, the unruliness remained. A quest to the bathroom resulted in the find of a wide toothed comb that did wonders, taming the mess into a manageable curtain of auburn. Idly, she combed the waves over her shoulders as she sat at the window.

'How far have we gone?' she mused silently. 'Across a system? Across a galaxy?' For the Guardian, distance meant little. Flying from Tokyo to San Diego had seemed to take forever; with this technology, it might have taken minutes, even seconds. Even if they'd told her how far they were from New Crystal Tokyo, would it really mean anything more than just 'really far away?'

Dawn sighed and put the comb down. Alone time was clearly not good at the moment, and she was feeling just the slightest bit hungry. Tentatively, she walked out of the room and into the hallway, wondering where she'd find people on this ship.

The conversation grew louder as she turned a corner, the scent of coffee reaching her nose. Dawn's pace doubled in her attempts to discover where she might be able to find a mug of it herself. So intent on her beverage-tracking, she didn't see the person come out of another room until it was too late, bumping into her ungraciously.

The other person tumbled to the floor in a heap of bright red hair. "Ack!"

In an instant, Dawn was on the floor and apologizing profusely. "Oh my gosh, I am _so_ incredibly sorry. That was just rude, I mean..." She sat back on her heels and offered a hand. "Great coffee smells or no, I should watch where I'm going."

Rivka smiled and patted Dawn's hand before grasping it to lever herself up. "You, too? I was just thinking I needed a break."

"Well, if you wouldn't mind me following you to your crew and their coffee, I'd be really grateful. Not as if I'm not already," she added quickly. "That coffee just smelled really good from the medic's area."

Rivka pushed the panel to the galley door, waving cheerfully at the four gathered there. "This is where you all are! I wondered. Paladin, you have the conn."

A warm tenor voice filled the small room. "Aye, Chavi. I have the conn."

Breandon swallowed sharply, and rested his arm on the back of his chair, trying to look nonchalant. "You have an AI that sophisticated on this ship?"

"It's part of the experimental design of the ship," Zehra replied.

"You mean, it's not supposed to be able to do that?" Dawn glanced over the captain's shoulder at Breandon. "I thought it was a standard sort of thing for the AI to be able to pilot the ship and whatnot."

"Pilot it, yes," Zehra began.

The tenor voice interjected, "Any stupid computer can pilot a ship. I, however, am far more sophisticated than that."

Breandon could see Rivka's lips twitch. "Clearly I don't give you enough to humble you, Paladin," she said.

Dawn chuckled from her spot in the doorway. "It's spunky," she noted. "What else can he do, besides pilot and provide grief for the captain?"

Zehra shrugged. "Basically, anything a sentient species can do that doesn't involve limbs, and some things that do involve limbs. In a sense, Paladin is a person in a box, though he hates that description with a passion." A disgruntled sound came from the hidden speakers, and Zehra chuckled slightly. "My shower will probably be cold tonight."

"But he can hate something," Dawn pointed out, the tone of her voice belying her awe that such a creation existed. "That's amazing. The fact that he can actually think about revenge, well..." She grinned. "He might as well be a ghost rather than just something in a box. Was he the one who made the coffee?"

The four crew members of the _Basilikya_ exchanged glances, then as one looked up at a corner of the room. First Athenée, then Valère began to giggle. Rivka and Zehra followed suit, while Breandon looked at them in amazement. "What's so funny about that?"

Through giggles, Athenée replied, "We let Paladin make coffee once. Once. He's okay with general follow-the-instructions cooking, but since he has no sense of taste, coffee is ... well, let's just say that letting Paladin make something that's so individual is a bad idea."

"Point taken," she noted dryly. Coffee was one of those things that could be ruined far too easily by a novice or worse, someone who didn't have an interest in drinking it. "So, who do I get to thank profusely for that heavenly aroma?

"Me," Breandon said quietly. He held an arm out to her.

Dawn positively beamed at him in adoration and approval as she walked over to him. "More hidden talents," she mused softly. "You're just full of surprises, aren't you?"

He snuggled his arm around her waist. "You have no idea."

The ship-humming silence was interrupted by Rivka clearing her throat. "Is there anything else you'd like to know about the _Basilikya_, while you're here? A tour, perhaps?"

"You'll probably have to put up with half a million questions about propulsion and core structure," Dawn warned her with a smile. Her fingers absently stroked the fabric of Breandon's shirt as she spoke. "If that's allowed, ma'am."

Rivka tapped a ring she was wearing on the door frame with a faint metallic clink. "I'll be honest with you, Lady Dawn. You're clearly an intelligent woman, and if I show you our ship, you may be able to persuade the Lunar Kingdom into buying from us." She flashed a swift smile. "Besides, it's always a pleasure to show off to someone who understands."

The title caught her off guard, but the offer didn't. She flashed an equally quick and honest smile, moving away from Breandon for a moment. "That sounds rather fair, although I'd have certainly spoken with someone once I returned about an appropriate thank-you for keeping us safe. Now I'm just going to have to think of something else." She extended a hand towards the captain, meeting the woman's gaze. "And please, anyone who knows me will tell you that I'm anything from ladylike. Just call me Dawn."

Breandon grasped Dawn's other wrist as Rivka shook Dawn's outstretched hand. Her grip was firm, the motion almost perfunctory. Standing up, Breandon came up beside Dawn. "Do you think your tour could wait a bit, my precious moonbeam?" he asked, glancing at both women. His gaze lingered on Rivka for a brief moment.

She offered Rivka an apologetic grin. "I guess I can wait, if that's all right with the Captain." By the way he'd reacted to her impromptu agreement with the captain, she wondered if once again she'd breached some unknown but drastically important piece of protocol.

"It's Rivka," the other redhead corrected. "Chavi, if you're feeling formal. I don't mind at all."

Paladin interrupted. "Chavi, it's just as well; we're being hailed and the Morimaruse is coming up as well."

Zehra immediately got up. "Shunt the hail to my station, Paladin." She and Valère left the galley, mugs magnetised to the table.

Rivka gave a rueful shrug. "As you see. Tomorrow, when we're safely on the other side of the Morimaruse, then." Without waiting for an answer, she turned and was gone.

Dawn didn't think to ask what a Morimaruse was, but she figured it must have been relatively important if the all-powerful AI couldn't handle it. "So, do I have time for coffee, or does the reason that the tour had to wait start now?"

Breandon opened his mouth, then glanced over his shoulder. Athenée still sat in the corner, but got up, smiling a secret kind of smile, as soon as their eyes met.

As soon as the two of them were alone in the small room, he wrapped both arms around Dawn and hugged her tightly. "Hold me, Dawn. Hold me tight."

She was caught off guard for a brief moment, unsure of what had prompted such a display. Tenderly, she wrapped both arms about him, one hand gently massaging the back of his neck. Being a few inches shorter was slightly inconvenient, but it did make it convenient for her to press her cheek against his forehead. "I think I can manage that," she whispered after a moment.

Something hot and wet landed on her collarbone, and she heard a sniffle. His arms tightened convulsively around her. Dawn froze. Crying? Was he... "Bren? Aw, geez. What's wrong, honey?" Carefully, she turned around to take his seat, pulling him into her lap. One hand stroked his head as the other kept him close, her voice low and calm the entire time. "Doll, please don't cry. I'll keep holding you as long as you want."

His voice was only slightly choked. "We have to help these people, Dawn." He looked up at her, wiping away a last drop. "What they've endured ... we have to help them."

She searched his face for some explanation, but decided against asking. "Oh... okay. Of course we can help them. I mean, that's the least we can do, all things considered. Why... no, wait." Dawn tucked a few errant strands away from his face. "I don't need a full-out explanation. You say they need help, I'll help you help them."

By way of a reply, he kissed her.

* * *

For all intents and purposes, the third watch on the bridge had been rather quiet for the past few nights. Granted, the large scout ship bearing the Lunar insignia on her hull wasn't the sort of ship that would be bothered by the occasional freighters and light transports that passed. At the same time, Kis refused to take such luck for granted. She sipped at her hot chocolate and idly glanced at the panel in front of her. No signals on the asteroid, but someone had spoken to the computer, and someone had tried to resolder the connections to the distress signal.

Akiko had told her that it looked recent, and she'd reminded Kis that Dawn knew enough to manage that much. The blonde Senshi hoped that the petite engineer was right. Bringing home bodies certainly didn't appeal to her, and she felt pretty certain that the Princess sleeping in the Captain's quarters felt the same way.

"Lieutenant Commander, ship of unknown origin approaching. Permission to open a hailing channel?" The bass tone of the AI resonated on the bridge.

Kis waved a hand, forgetting that the ship's AI couldn't pick up on noiseless hand gestures and occasional grunts. Swallowing a mouthful of cocoa, she tried again. "Go ahead, Leroy. Identify and state our presence. Ready defences, but do not raise shields yet."

"Aye."

Kis took another sip and managed to look up at the ship that Leroy was preparing to hail. A funny noise in her throat preceded a great deal of choking and spluttering, and Kis took a moment to squint at the image in front of her. Were those sails on that ship?

"Unknown vessel, this is the SLS _Hermes_. Please identify." Leroy muted the channel for a moment. "Ready to begin scans on your command."

Athenée jerked upright from where she'd been dozing to an audiobook Paladin was reading to her. Paladin had interrupted himself, amusingly, to pass the hail from the Lunar ship, and three screens had flicked on to show the outside view. She flicked the conn on and returned a reply: "_Basilikya_, here. What's your business with us?"

"Mind if I just stare for a bit? By the Crystal, that is a sexy ship," Kis drawled, refusing to hide the awe in her voice. Solar sails, a sleek exterior design, and the drawings that Leroy was displaying on her panels showed some extremely well-designed engineering and innovative defence mechanisms. "Oh, right. Lieutenant Commander Kissuiko En'youno, Lunar Navy," she added. "We're on a search and rescue."

Athenée bit her tongue for a moment. Leaving the conn off, she told Paladin to summon the rest of the crew, who came barrelling onto the bridge in short order. Rivka quickly gestured Athenée out of the chair and turned on visuals. Surrounded by her crew, she spoke. "Greetings in peace, Lt. Comm. I am Chavi Rivka, captain of the _Basilikya_. Who are these refugees you seek?"

Kis jabbed the panel in front of her, transmitting two images. "One is a Senshi, the personal guardian of our Princess Serenity. The other is a renowned clothing designer and a personal friend of mine. We believe that both were kidnapped a few days ago, possibly on a merc bounty." Again, she eyed the ship on one of the panels, noting the design of the cargo areas. "Considering the fire-power of your ship, ma'am, I'm certainly not about to suspect you of kidnapping." Kis' easygoing grin smacked of not-so-innocent flirtation. "If you've seen anything that would help us find the pair alive, her Highness would be most appreciative."

Rivka nodded, once, and flipped her hand at Valère below the level of the screen. Valère departed swiftly, and Rivka gave Kis her best smile. "How appreciative, exactly?"

"Ma'am, I can be extremely appreciative when the situation warrants, but I think your crew might feel left out," she chuckled. "I'm personally authorized to award up to two hundred thousand credits for any credible information leading to their safe return."

"What about the safe return itself?" Rivka asked, seeing Valère return with Breandon and Dawn in tow. They were still out of sight of the screen, though, and she motioned for them to stay put.

"Up to her Highness. We _are_ talking about a Senshi, so she's not exactly going to be stingy."

Rivka could not keep the true smile off her face any longer. "Never mind rewards, Lt. Commander. Here are your lost folk." Valère pushed Breandon and Dawn forward.

Kis whooped loudly enough to cause two ensigns to hurry to the bridge. "Ma'am, I would be more than happy to transport and retrieve them personally, but I believe that would be the Princess' place, as would be the negotiation of a reward. Permission to come aboard?"

Dawn wobbled, one hand going to Breandon's arm for immediate support. There, on the screen not more than ten feet away, stood Kis in her familiar sassy glory, chatting it up with Rivka as it if was the most natural thing in the world. Her stomach had commenced to doing funny flipflops the more she watched the blonde figure, and their frequency doubled at the immediate request to come on board.

Breandon put an arm around Dawn's waist. He, too, felt weak with relief at the sight of the Lunar ship, and the sound of Kis' sharp tongue.

Rivka considered Kis for a long, quiet moment, still smiling. Then: "Permission granted," she announced. "I will meet you below."

"Excellent." The screen blinked out as the transmission ended, with Kis striding confidently to the transport bay. "Your Highness, if you'll excuse me, I believe I need to go and pick up your Guardian." She winked at the stunned Princess, who sank into the Captain's chair as the door whooshed shut.

Back on the bridge, Dawn had commenced both laughing and crying as she held onto Breandon's arm.

Breandon patted her arm gently, leading her to a seat. "Shhh, Dawn. Shhh." Rivka bestowed a hurried smile on the pair, strands of red hair flickering through the closing door. She and the rest of the crew of the _Basilikya_ formed up in the open landing bay, a semicircle of women. The Lunar craft slid in and settled to the deck.

A half-minute passed as the engines powered down and the hatch opened with a rush of cool air. A rather tall Senshi emerged, her skin perpetually sun-kissed and lips twisted in a grin of amusement and appreciation. "Sailor Ryujin, or Kissuiko En'youno. I'd prefer Kis, as it's just such a more, well, pleasant thing to say." She winked at the captain as she gave a low bow.

The women facing her gave a peculiar gesture, fingertips to forehead, to lips, to heart. Rivka extended a hand to Kis. "The ones you seek are on the bridge. Will you come with me?"

"It'd be an honour, Ma'am." Taking Rivka's hand in her own, she stayed half a step behind while being led inside.

Purposefully, Rivka led Kis on a circuitous route, while the others slipped back to the bridge by a more direct path. Valère winked at Breandon, who arched a brow at her.

"Where is she?" he hissed.

"Chavi is showing her the ship. Patience."

Wrapping his arms more tightly around Dawn, he frowned and waited.

"We're going to go home," she whispered, more for her own satisfaction than anyone else's. "Home. Finally."

After what seemed like forever, Kis' voice could finally be heard in the corridor. "Absolutely stunning, Chavi. Beautiful, refined, elegant... a remarkable pairing of craft and commander, if you don't mind my saying."

Rivka's cool voice could also be heard, coming through the doorway. "Thank you very much, my lady." She gestured Kis through the opening, then stepped back.

Setting Dawn aside gently, Breandon stood up, looking at Kis. Familiar, smartmouthed Kis. He put his hands out and grasped her shoulders, still looking, before he seemed to crumple slowly into her shoulder. "Oh, gods," he said, muffled. "Thank god."

Kis appeared genuinely startled for a few seconds before awkwardly placing both arms around the designer's smaller body. Consoling girls was one thing, but men... "I'm not divine, but thanks for the compliment," she finally offered, patting him on the back. "What, you thought I'd just let you get away with running off after that pink shirt incident? Nah, never. I gotta get you back."

"It's the fact that you're here at all, Kis." His hands squeezed her shoulders once more, then let go, and he stepped back, reaching for Dawn's hand.

Rivka crossed her arms, leaning against the wall. "So what are you offering for these two? I'd be glad to keep them myself. They make a nice, matched set." She winked, and Zehra laughed.

"Eh, we sort of need them. Her Highness is fond of the woman, and she's fond of this pain, so they sort of come back together," Kis quipped dryly. "Her Majesty set the reward at half a million credits, but..."

"Something better than that," Dawn interrupted, her voice hoarse. "They deserve better than just a reward and a wave goodbye." She eyed Breandon; he'd said they needed help, and by the powers, she was going to help them.

Athenée's eyes had popped at the size of the reward already, but Rivka pursed her lips, and Valère looked thoughtful. "Start with permission to send a trade delegation to Neo Crystal Tokyo."

Kis nodded slowly. "I think we could handle that." Absently, she rubbed at her elbow. "If you'd like, you're welcome to follow the _Hermes_ back to the spaceport and dock there for a few days while we iron everything out."

"What else?" Dawn whispered, her lips at Breandon's ear.

"Public acknowledgement on arrival," Breandon said, abruptly.

Kis chuckled. "Just give me the titles, and we'll have it all worked out." She continued to rub at her arm, finally turning it over to see what was giving her grief. A circle of yellow sores was rapidly spreading up to her shoulder and itching madly. "Son of a... Rainault, what horrible disease did you pass on to me?" she demanded, horrified.

Athenée came over and grabbed her wrist. "Phosphera," she pronounced, letting go hastily. "Where have you been? Do you Lunars not know elementary precautions when working with that stuff?"

"I've been on a ship for the past three days, dealing with a neurotic princess," Kis shot back, annoyed. "Yesterday, we stopped at a site that had a distress beacon, but that's the only time we were offship."

Dawn frowned at the still-scratching Senshi. "That beacon was still working? It was only supposed to be good for twelve hours at best. What's phosphera used for again?"

"It's a fuel catalyst," snapped the Senshi. "Makes things more effi..."

"That rock has phosphera?" Breandon burst out, simultaneously with Valère. They looked at each other, quickly.

Rivka said, rapidly, "Give us the trade rights to it. The Lunars will get favoured status."

Dawn pursed her lips for a moment. "You need miners, don't you? Patrols to ensure that piracy doesn't happen, that sort of thing? Just giving you trade rights would mean that you'd wind up wasting any reward money on mercenaries to do the work for you."

Breandon held up a hand. "We can't do that, anyway. But I can mention it to the Queen." He put the hand on Dawn's shoulder. "This changes a lot of things."

Silence fell for a moment. Athenée straightened her shoulders and grasped Kis' other wrist. "To sickbay with you. That needs treating."

"Just a moment," Zorya interrupted. "She needs to send a message back to the – _Hermes_? – telling them she's safe, and that we're all going back to Neo Crystal Tokyo together. Then we can be moving while she's being treated."

"I am ready to record, madam," Paladin said.

"Ah, that's the AI. Very nice," she noted. "Kissuiko En'youno, First Officer of the SLS _Hermes_, requesting permission for Chavi Rivka and her crew to accompany the scout ship back to the spaceport. Preparations will be made for one week's minimum accommodation for all aboard, as well as negotiations for a suitable reward for the safe return of the Guardian and her escort." She paused, eyeing Rivka again. "And also let them know that I'll need dinner reservations at the officer's club tomorrow night for two, nineteen hundred hours. If that's all right with you, Chavi," she added with a wink.

Rivka smiled slightly. "I accept."

"Okay, message, let's go before that shit spreads." Athenée yanked.

Breandon exchanged a glance with Dawn. "Which ship do we go back on?"

She blinked as she regarded the group of women, a half-smile on her face. "I... I think we should go back with them. More glory for them, really. Now that I know we're going to be home, I don't mind staying here another day." Dawn glanced to Kis, who seemed rather proud of herself now that her dinner invitation had been accepted. "That's okay?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. Baby girl, whatever you wanna do," she answered absently.

"NOW." Athenée's pull this time did not allow for resistance, and the two disappeared down the passage.


	14. Return

Chapter Twelve – Return 

For once, the Princess had taken a page out of her Guardian's book. Each hand clenched around a strappy pink sandal, Rini stormed down the hallways towards the private living areas in the palace. Fuming, she didn't offer so much as a nod to the guards who opened the doors to let her inside. Rather than talk to her, Dawn had clung to that stupid designer the moment she'd stepped off the ship. Her parents had even gone so far as to _thank_ Rainault for keeping her safe. Then and there, Rini had decided to just wait at the door of the Guardian's quarters, so that she could properly give her a piece of her mind.

The nerve. The nerve of him to actually take the thanks, while Dawn just stood there and blushed and smiled and ducked her head in that 'I'm nobody special' way that set Rini's teeth on edge every time she endured it. And gypsies... space gypsies being thanked and rewarded and granted special trade status? A loud snort escaped Rini's inner rant as she rounded the corner, the beginnings of a tirade already forming in her head.

Breandon leaned his head on Dawn's shoulder as the pair made their way back from the palace hospital. They'd been poked, prodded, tested, questioned, and scanned until he was ready to scream from the idiocy of it all. Logical bits of him knew perfectly well what was going on, but the rest of him just wanted to go lie down, with Dawn, and sleep. Somewhere safe. Somewhere – "Oh, shit."

There was Rini, tapping her unclad foot and glaring fit to burn the building down.

"There you are," she offered icily. "Took your sweet time, I see." Arms folded across her chest, the shoes dangled from one hand.  
Dawn frowned down at the Princess. "They did. I just decided to walk a little more slowly. Your point?"

"My _point?_" Her voice rose octaves as she repeated Dawn's question. "I don't have to have a point! I... I'm the PRINCESS! And I just had to go and thank a bunch of _gypsies_ for rescuing you because you had to run off with HIM one morning!" She flung a hand out at Breandon, gesticulating wildly with her shoes. "If it wasn't for you..."

"If it wasn't for me she might be dead."

"She wouldn't have been RUNNING AROUND OUTSIDE where BOUNTY HUNTERS could get her!" Red faced, Rini screamed at the designer. She took another step forward, mouth open to deliver another tirade before Dawn forcibly put herself between the two.

"You," she began, her voice dangerously low, "are going to shut up and back off. Now." The Guardian narrowed her eyes at her charge, bile rising in her throat. "I don't care how inconvenienced you are, you're going to suck it up for a night."

Breandon bit his tongue on his next thought, which was something along with lines of not locking people in cages, and Rini didn't like being locked up much either, and what if she'd been with Rini instead? Instead, he set his jaw, folded his arms, and prepared to watch his lover set a Royal Princess straight.

"I get to go where I want, when I want. If you'll recall, you told me that it didn't matter where I went, there was always someone out to get you. Your Eos got attacked here, remember?" Dawn knocked a hand on the door in punctuation of her remark. "I didn't agree to come here to live in a plastic bubble, and I'm certainly not going to do it because _you_ tell me to do it."

"But I'm the _Princess_," Rini hissed back.

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Big fuckin' deal. I. Don't. Care." She didn't flinch at Rini's outraged shriek, but merely cut off another tirade. "I'm going to bed because I'm tired, and because I have to go with you to the negotiations tomorrow."

"No, you will not," huffed the pink-haired one.

"Yes, I will."

"Nuh-uh."

She couldn't resist. "Take it up with your mother. I'm going to bed." Dawn reached for Breandon's wrist.

He gave her his hand, looking up at Rini with a gaze that more exhausted than angry. "Grow up, Princess." Then they were gone, and the door closed in Rini's stunned face. She lifted a fist to pound in the door.

"Don't."

She didn't turn to look at her mother, but the fist dropped. "Why not?"

"Because I said so. Because she's an adult, and because you're acting like a child." Serenity rubbed at her temples, her expression weary. "This is wholly inappropriate behavior. Neither one of them deserve that kind of treatment."

She turned to walk away, and looked back. "A Princess who has to remind others of the fact isn't much of a Princess."

"You don't think this would have happened if he hadn't asked her to meet him that morning?" Rini's voice choked out the question to her mother.

Serenity came back and placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "I think that it would not have mattered. She exists so you don't have to live in a crystal cage. You cannot expect her to live in one, either. Soon or late, there would have been an attempt. Would you blame yourself if it had been you she was protecting at the time?"

"No, because that's her job. She's supposed to do that." The cool hand on her shoulder seemed to sap the spite from Rini, and she slumped forward. Deep down, she wanted to be mad at him, to find some reason to yell at him for taking everyone away from her – whether or not he actually did was another matter – and yet, she couldn't justify storming in Dawn's room and continuing the argument. "It's just not fair," made its way out of her mouth in defeated whimper.

"She came back," Serenity pointed out mildly. "Are you so selfish that you think she should only be devoted to you, or are you jealous?"

Her lower lip quivered, her posture defiant as she tried to look her mother in the eye. "No."

Serenity pulled her daughter into an embrace. "It's natural to be angry when worry is suddenly relieved." She stroked the pink hair. "This is hard for you."

Rini fought the hug for a moment, but gave up as her mother smoothed her hair back. Emotionally exhausted, she brought both arms about her mother's waist in a desperate hug. "I want to be more mad, but I can't."

"Shhhhh." Serenity guided Rini away from Dawn's rooms, down the hall to a small sitting room.

Curled up in her mother's lap, she let loose a long shuddering sigh. Jealous? Of what? Certainly not of Rainault, that was certain.  
Serenity rocked her daughter gently, humming. Hesitantly, she began, "Is this about Ashe?"

"Maybe." Eyes closed, she listened to the familiar melody. "But not about Ashe because he's Ashe. Ashe because, well," she offered, rubbing at her nose. "Because I don't have anything like that anymore. And I miss it," she hiccuped.

"Oh, baby," Serenity whispered. She held her daughter close. Chief among her thoughts was a sudden realisation of how hard it must be to be the offspring of the most romantic liaison. Rini had high standards, naturally. "Oh, baby."

"Am I doing something wrong?" She tried to lift her head. "Is it supposed to be this hard?"

"No, honey." Serenity laced her fingers in her daughter's hair. "It's not supposed to be hard, or easy. It just is."

She sighed softly in reply, tired and worn out far past her seventeen years. "I wish it wasn't," she murmured. Rini's head rested against the soft white shoulder of Serenity's gown, eyes closing as sleep slowly took over.

"I know," her mother whispered. "I know." A few tears dampened the pink hair before Serenity sniffed gracelessly. Endymion peeked in. "She's asleep."

He walked over, and stood looking down. "Poor child. Here, let me carry her." The two parents looked at their child, and looked at each other, and shared a quintessential moment of parenthood, each wishing they could smooth the way and make it easy for her. Then Endymion picked Rini up and carried her to bed.

* * *

Back in her suite, Dawn had managed to trade her traveler's clothing for a simple robe before collapsing on the bed next to Breandon. Resting her head on his chest, she counted heartbeats in time with his breathing. Home, and yet not really home quite yet. It was an bittersweet sort of relief to be back.

Breandon, for his part, sprawled in boneless relief across Dawn's bed, one hand rubbing at his forehead in sheer frustration. "What," he began, "is her problem? I thought you two had gotten through that."

She waved a hand in the air as if to totally dismiss the subject. "I have no clue, and I don't care. Princess or not, she's not going to dictate anything when it comes to me and you."

He smoothed his free hand over her hair. "I know that. But you do still have to accompany her."

She closed her eyes and sighed. "It doesn't mean that I have to put up with her whining. Sure, I'll punch the first person who tries to harm one hair on her pretty head, but so help me..." A hand balled into a fist as she punched the comforter on the bed in frustration. "I'll be nice and smile, okay? No embarrassing anyone. I'll be the picture of obedience."

"That's a very bad picture." He pried her fingers open. "Didn't your mother ever teach you to ignore people?"

"If she did, I didn't pay attention." Absently, she scratched at his stomach, watching the fabric of his shirt move under her nails. "Besides, it's hard to ignore people you care about."

"Not when they're being ... " He hesitated for a word, "Snippy. It's a kind of punishment. As far as conversation goes, she stops existing unless she's being nice."

She gave a gentle shrug and closed her eyes. "I suppose. It'll be better in the morning, after we all sleep. I just... I think she's glad that we're back."

"I think you're right, but it's a funny way of showing it." Rolling over, he put an arm around her waist and whispered, "Do you really want to go to sleep right now?"

She raised herself up on an elbow, grinning conspiratorially. "Sleep now? After I've finally managed to lure you in here?"

"That's what I thought." He yanked her close, squashing himself, and kissed her thoroughly.

She squealed and giggled, rolling back so that she could look up at him. Returning the kiss, she reached for the leather band to undo his hair.

* * *

More than a week had passed since the glorious rescue and the new treaty negotiations between the Moon Kingdom and Chavi Rivka's crew. Dawn didn't understand much of the legal ramifications, but Breandon had managed to explain that it meant more than enough money for the _Basilikya_'s crew to last them for decades. Disgruntled threats from the Arronné family after the announcement of the treaty had meant that Dawn was to be even more of a shadow for the Princess, which had Rini in a huff. After a particularly strained dinner, Serenity had graciously declared a 'family night,' giving Dawn the opportunity to get away from a still-sullen Rini.

That had been more than three hours ago. Unable to find Breandon, she'd resigned herself to another game of pool at Greynn's, interspersed with conversations with Vince. Setting up what would be the eighth game of the night, she barely looked up when a long shadow fell across the green felt.

"Dawn!"

The noise barely fazed her as the thwack of the balls resounded in the nearly-empty bar. Straightening up, she gave the lanky figure a tired but warm grin. "Hey Kieran. You're out past your bedtime, aren't you?"

"I have a bedtime?" His purple eyes were wide, and there was no way to tell if he was serious or not. He leaned both elbows on the edge of the table.

"Everyone has a bedtime. We just choose to ignore 'em when it's convenient." She strolled around the table, looking for a better shot. "You wanna play?"

He shook his dark head. "I'd have to take a handicap."

"Suit yourself." Dawn leaned down to continue her game, but her concentration wasn't on the game at hand now. "Um, have you seen Breandon anywhere? I couldn't find him earlier, since I had the night off and stuff." She tried t sound nonchalant.

Again Kieran shook his head. "He doesn't tell me where he goes."

"Oh." Dawn couldn't hide the disappointment in her voice this time. "I just thought... oh, nevermind. Did you want a drink or something? Vince is gettin' lazy with just me ordering."

"Not tonight."

She nodded in reply, silently going back to her game. Distraction was evident as the white ball went to the right of the red striped ball, Dawn swearing in whispers.

"Your angle was wrong," Kieran pointed out, following the balls.

"I know." She stepped back and watched the table. "I need more practice, or something." Reaching for her drink, Dawn took a long sip and eyed Kieran over the rim of the glass. "Did you just come to hang out and watch me play pool?"

He shrugged. "I don't like to sit in the lab all day. Ami chases me out every so often if I don't go on my own."

"Oh." Ice clinked as she set the glass down. "Kieran, I don't mean to ask dumb questions, and you don't have to answer 'em if you don't want to, but Breandon..."

Kieran cocked an eyebrow.

"Well, does he... does he know that they're going to make me leave?" Blue chalk dirtied her thumb as she spoke, Dawn suddenly fixated on the end of the pool cue.

"You ask the hard questions." Kieran pushed a hand through his hair, making even more of it stand up on end. "Just a moment." He signalled to Vince. When Vince had given him a vibrantly blue drink with some kind of sparks in it, he sat down at a nearby table and stared at it. "Yes. Yes, he knows."

"And?" She hugged herself tightly, leaning against the pool table. "He's not upset with me because of that, is he?"  
A sudden movement pushed the glass half across the table. "No. Of course not. It's not because of you."

"Because I..." She licked her lips nervously. It'd been so long since she'd been able to open up to anyone about Breandon without hearing some kind of warning or judgment. "I don't want to go, because it'd mean leaving him."

Retrieving the drink, Kieran took a long swallow. "Of course."

"But he's upset?"

"Not with you."

"Then with whom?" She slid into the chair across from him.

He turned the drink between his fingers. "I don't know."

She nodded once, unsure as to whether or not she should pry further. "But he's upset about something?" Dawn wondered briefly if Rini had given him another earful.

"He doesn't want you to leave either."

She smiled faintly at that revelation. "Well, that's good. It'd be awfully awkward if only one of us was going to be eternally heartbroken when I get shipped back home." Sarcasm was hardly solace, and Dawn looked down at the table.

"He's trying to make that not happen."

His voice was soft enough, Dawn thought that she hadn't heard Kieran at first. "What? Did you just..."

Kieran cleared his throat. "He's trying to find a way to keep you here."

Her mouth twisted oddly, caught between a full-out smile and an extremely worried grimace. "So I'd stay? But once Eos has her kids, and Rini accompanies her mother, there's no reason for me to stay unless – " Dawn stopped abruptly.

He didn't look up. "Go on."

"He's talking to one of them, isn't he?"

"Not right now."

"Has he talked to them yet?" Either Serenity or Pluto, it didn't matter at this point. She started to get up from the chair.

"Sit down."

She sat.

"If you go charging in there now, it will be disruptive." Kieran sighed. "I don't understand it. I only understand the science. And science says that at some point you or – this is important – one of your descendants has to go back."

"Excuse me?" Dawn leaned forward. "Descendants?"

"Children?"

"I know what they are," she retorted. "I just... oh, hell. This is so complicated, it hurts." Head in her hands, she stared down at the table.

"It makes perfect sense to me."

"Then you're a whole lot smarter than I am," she said morosely. One hand reached for his drink. "May I?"

He put his hand over it. "That's really not a good thing for pure humans."

She sighed. "Fine. I'll get my own oblivion."

"Good idea."

Getting up, she crossed the room to the bar, where Vince was talking animatedly on a phone. He put up a fuzzy paw as if to tell her to wait, finishing the conversation with a "that's great, tell her I said congratulations," before setting the phone down. "Whatever you want, Dawn. Drinks are on the house."

"On the house? How come?" Her stomach bottomed out as he beamed at her. "Good news?"

"Great news. Three healthy kids, one tired and drugged up new mother, and a rather giddy father." Vince waved to Kieran. "You too, man. Whatever you want."

Dawn's smile spread thin over her lips, eyes bright and cheerfulness forced. "That's... that's great. Really great. Wow, that's just fantastic."

Kieran shook his head, though his grin was far less forced than Dawn's.

"Y'know, I think I'm gonna have to pass," she managed to get out, stumbling over the barstool. "It's late and all, and I should really get some sleep. Tell Theo I said congratulations," she offered hoarsely, nearing the door.

Which swung open, revealing the slightly tousled figure of Breandon, a backpack slung over one shoulder. "Dawn?"

A surprised squeak came forth instead of a warmer greeting, her expression instantly guilty and relieved at the same time. "I... I was looking for you earlier but I couldn't... Eos. She had the babies, and I just..." Dawn swallowed hard, glancing back to the pair at the bar. "I was just leaving."

"I'll go with you," Breandon said instantly. He didn't even glance at Kieran, or Vince. Stepping out of the doorway, he flourished an arm at the street.

She walked ahead of him, taking a turn in the direction of his shop. "I don't want to go back to the palace," she mumbled.

"Right, fine."

"I don't want to go back anywhere."

"Sure, okay. Go to the shop, Dawn."

"No." She stopped and turned to him. The light on the street flickered above them as the hum of a transport sounded from the nearby spaceport. "I don't want to go back. Anywhere."

He didn't look in the best of moods, either. "I'm not doing this out in the street, Dawn. Go to the shop, so we can talk. Or you can yell. Either."

Silently, she turned and continued down the street, past the square where the Incident had taken place, down the tidy side street, up to his door. She dug her hands in her pockets and waited to be let inside.

He unlocked the door and shouldered his way inside, lights coming on at the motion. "Have a seat, darling." He vanished into his bedroom for a moment, and she could hear thumps indicating opening and closing of things. After a moment, he reappeared, loose hair and zippered pullover indicating casualness.

She flopped onto the floor, snatching a stray throw pillow to hold as she rested her head against the papasan chair. "I was looking for you earlier," she noted quietly.

"I'm sorry. I had to make a shopping trip unexpectedly." He took a seat on the futon, stretching to rub a foot over her stomach. "What's wrong?"

Dawn closed her eyes, concentrating on the feel of the fabric against her cheek. "I got a night off, and I couldn't find you, and I found Kieran and talked to him, and I think..." She let out a long sigh. "I think that I don't want to go back anymore."

"Be more specific."

"I want this to be home. Here." She opened both eyes. "Is that specific enough?"

"Yes, thank you." He closed his eyes and sighed. "Dawn, if you stay here you will never be safe."

"What's not safe?" She sat up, pillow to her chest. "I don't want to be safe, I want to be happy. I want to be loved. I want to be someplace where I'm needed."

"Don't your parents need you?" He shook his head. "No, never mind that. If you stay here there will always be the possibility of repeating what just happened."

She sighed, holding the pillow time. "And if I go back, who's to say that this entire scenario won't repeat itself? I... I hate to say it, but this goes beyond the small family I have at home. It's a Senshi thing, almost," she offered. "I stay where I'm needed. And even if I'm not needed," Dawn continued with controlled calm, "I'm still needed. Aren't I?"

"I hate it when you fish."

She pushed the pillow to the floor. "And I hate this 'Are you sure?' crap that you're throwing at me. I am sure that I want to stay here. I think, wait, no. I know that you need me, just like I need you, and that's another reason why I want to stay." She pushed the hair out her eyes. "So just correct me if I'm wrong, that's all."

"I'm only doing what they're going to do to me, you know." He tapped his foot on her stomach again.

"Yeah, well..." Dawn trailed off, unable to find a decent reply. She traced the underside of his foot with a delicate finger, leaning back once more. "I guess the whole 'accidentally and wholly in love' argument doesn't work in the future, huh?"

"Don't be an idiot."

"I'll take that as a no."

"You're always jumping to conclusions."

"It's a talent I've refined. Two-footed, so I splash a lot." With that dry remark, she flopped back on the floor to stare morosely at the ceiling. "Kieran said that science says I'd have to go back."

"Just someone from your direct bloodline."

"Oh, good. You know the specifics, too." She took a few deep breaths, eyes closing after a moment. "What if... what if sending me back would end that line," she mused.

"Can we please not talk about this right now? I've been over all the arguments for the last week, and my head is ringing with temporal science." Breandon looked at her pleadingly. "Please."

"I don't think this part is science, but I'll stop anyways," she agreed. Dawn raised herself up on her elbows and gave him a soft smile. "What other topic would you rather discuss, oh dark-tressed champion of my heart?"

Breandon spluttered with laughter.

"Yeah, it doesn't sound the same when I say it, does it?" Dawn chuckled from the floor. "I make it sound corny."

"It may be an accent thing." He patted the futon next to him. "Come sit up here with me, beloved angel of the sky."

Obediently, she scrambled up to the futon, all but flinging herself into his lap. This was better; they could pretend that there was no last day coming or heartbreaking farewell on the horizon. Dawn pulled a bit of his hair down, twining it in her fingers.

Nibbling at her ear, Breandon whispered, "Stay here tonight?"

She squirmed at the tickling. "Well, it's only fair, since you got to sleep over at the palace." Giggling, she toyed with the zipper of his pullover. "I'll just need to be home by breakfast."

"As usual." He bit the earlobe gently, then started to kiss his way down her cheekbone.

"You know," she began playfully, pulling the zipper all the way down. "if I didn't know any better, I'd think that you were trying to seduce me."

Plunging his hands into her hair, he told her, "I don't think 'try' is an applicable word here. I _am_ seducing you."

She gave a throaty giggle. "If it hasn't occurred to you, I'm acknowledging the attention and even encouraging it." She lightly raked her nails down the exposed skin of his chest. "You're losing your touch."

"I _what_?" Determined to prevent any repetition of the damning words, he firmly kissed her, pinning her head between his hands.

Her only verbal reaction came in the form of a soft warm purr, hands blindly fumbling to relieve him of his pullover.

Breaking the kiss, he whispered, "Slow down. We were going to make the most of everything, remember? So slow down." He smiled gently and let go, standing up.

Pouting, she sat up. "Slow... oh, all right."

Breandon stepped to the window, ignoring the unzipped pullover, and flung the shades wide, letting in the brilliant earthlight. "Dawn, there is a box of matches on the corner table. Could you light all the candles?"

She blinked, but wordlessly nodded and stood up. It took a few tries, but she managed to go to each small group of candles about the room, little tongues of light soon dancing on the walls. Shaking out the last match, she set the box back on the table and turned to face him.

He had been tapping keys at the discreet computer in the corner between kitchen and living room, and familiar classical music began to fill the small room. He turned and faced her, arms held wide like the whole scene had been conjured up by him, personally. "Better?"

Dawn shrugged and smiled back at him, thumbs in the waistband of her pants. "It's definitely a nice touch, but you still look as appealing as you did when we were back on the futon. I do like the candles, though."

"Here I believed you were a romantic."

"Selective romantic," she corrected, approaching him coyly. "And instinctively sensual, thanks to you." She tapped a finger on his chest. Taking her hand, he began to kiss each finger. "Oh... now, that's just cheating," she murmured softly. He made an inquiring noise.

"Fingers... mouth, just – " The explanation melted into a moan as he nibbled the tip of her middle finger. He chuckled, letting go of the hand and going for her mouth before she could respond. This time, her hands flew to his hair, knotting the strands about her fingers as she returned the kiss aggressively.

"Down," he muttered indistinctly, and they collapsed to the plush carpet. She managed to somehow end up above him, a very un-angelic expression gracing her lips. His hands were already sliding up under her shirt, a crease forming at the edge of one eyebrow. Rather than wait, she unceremoniously pulled the simple white tee over her head and dropped it onto the futon.

"Again with the haste, angel of the dawn." Nibbling at her chin, he muttered, "What do I have to do to teach you to slow down!" The question ended in a squeak.

She'd raked her nails over his chest, straddling his hips as she giggled. "Tie me up, probably," she offered with a naughty laugh.

"That's not much of a punishment if you like it." Slowly, he slid his fingers up her bare back, barely brushing the skin.

She shivered at the touch, incoherent hums and whispers giving testament to the fact that she relished the light caress despite her claims to the contrary. One hand rested on his chest, steadying herself as she arched her back.


End file.
